


Something Greater

by busket



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Yiga Clan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 13:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 76,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14106303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/busket/pseuds/busket
Summary: Aita, a Yiga Clan foot solider, has been tasked with finding and killing the legendary hero. He knew this mission would change his life, but he could have never guessed just how much.





	1. Kakariko Bridge

On the day he completed his training, Aita was awarded his mask. His mentor, a blademaster named Eji, handed him the porcelain item and said “You won’t disappoint me.” It wasn’t a confident assurance, it was an order. Aita understood this as he eagerly took the mask and put it on.

  
Many other trainees in his class were graduating to the position of footsoldier today, more than usual. Just days ago, a scout checked the Shrine of Resurrection on the Great Plateau and found it opened and empty. The hero was awake, and somewhere in Hyrule.

 

As Aita secured the mask into place, he thought about its creation. Sculpted by a fellow Yiga. Hardened with burning, searing fire. Carefully painted with the red Yiga emblem. He had been living his life thus far with a false face, a temporary one. This mask, this was his true face. He belonged to something greater. From the moment he put it on, he was no longer individual. He was merely a gear in a great machine that would save the world. 

  
Hours later, Aita was packed and ready to head out. He had been assigned his post and saw no benefit to waiting. It was in the Necluda area, right by the Kakariko Bridge. His objective was to guard his post and the surrounding land in disguise, watch for the hero, and should he encounter him, kill him. Aita scowled at the thought of being so close to Kakariko Village and all the idiot Sheikah. They may be able to spot a Yiga in disguise, he would have to be careful about that.

  
He walked briskly towards the hideout entrance, confidently and with purpose. A familiar voice interrupted him. “Leaving so soon?”

  
By reflex Aita turned to look, and realized the futility of it when everyone his age was now wearing a mask. But it was a voice he couldn’t forget, that of one of his old training partners, Goro.

  
“That is you, isn’t it Aita?” Goro asked. “I’m still getting packed, myself.”

  
“Hm, lazy.” Aita remarked. “You might as well stay back with the trainees if you’re going to move so slow.”

  
“Hey…” Goro said, a hint of defensiveness in his voice. “Anyway it’s not like I have much chance killing the hero. If anyone’s going to do it, it’ll probably be you, Aita.”

 

Aita smirked, hidden behind the mask. “The last thing I need is you giving me an ego, Goro.” He said.

  
“There’s nothing wrong with being confident, I’m serious. In any case, I hear they have high expectations for you becoming a blademaster, sooner than the rest of us.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Hell, maybe you’ll even replace Master Kogha someday.”

  
“Ha, don’t let Kei hear you talk like that. She wouldn’t hesitate to report you for conspiratorial planning.”

  
“Why should I care about that?” As if on queue, they heard Kei’s voice approaching from behind them. Again, Aita turned to look at her. She was now just a mask, unidentifiable from the other footsoldiers.

  
“Because, we all know you hate Goro.” Aita said.

  
“I hate both of you.” Kei said. “But I have more important things to worry about than that.”

  
“So, where are you two stationed?” Goro asked, unfazed by Kei’s insults.

  
Aita was about to answer, but Kei was quicker to speak. “That’s none of your business. I don’t want either of you sabotaging me.” She said. Aita closed his mouth, realizing that she was probably wise to not answer.

  
Goro laughed. “Don’t be stupid, we’re all in this together, aren’t we? Sabotaging a fellow member would be like shooting yourself in the foot.”

  
“I’m not stupid, Goro. We all know what’s really happening here.” Kei said. “The one who is fast enough to encounter the hero first has the best chance of killing him, before he regains his strength. And the one who manages to kill him will be greatly rewarded. We’re competitors now. We may be striving towards the same goal, but in the end, only one of us will reach it.”

  
There was a silent, tense moment between the three of them as they each contemplated what this meant. Competitors.

  
“Hm...everything is already so different. How sad.” Goro said, and broke the silence.

  
“Not really.” Aita turned away from them, back on his path towards the exit. “This is how things are meant to be.”

  
Teleporting to the Yiga Hideout was easy and could be done from anywhere across Hyrule. Teleporting to other locations was trickier. To do it, one must be familiar with the location they intended to travel to; they had to have been there before. Aita had only been outside the hideout a handful of times, and it was all to develop a small repertoire of places he could travel to in an instant. It was an ability innate to all members of the Yiga Clan, and so was an integral part of his training. With focus and an image in his mind, he transported himself to the closest location he could to his post: the Gatepost Town Ruins, at the base of the Great Plateau. From there he would travel East through the Dueling Peaks, and then North to Kakariko Bridge.

  
Upon arrival, he instantly changed his appearance to his disguise. Now, he was just an ordinary Hylian traveler. Another essential aspect of his training was espionage, infiltrating Hyrule as a normal citizen, and Aita was confident he could play the part. Most Hylians were weak and stupid anyway, with a friendly smile and a few rupees he could squeeze any information he wanted out of them.

 

So, he started out to the East. To his right, the Great Plateau towered above him, and to his left was a small wooded area. Some monsters were moving about in the trees, he could see their glowing eyes in the mottled sunlight. They didn’t bother him, and he had no qualms about fighting them should they give him trouble. They were soldiers in Ganon’s army like him, but low ranking, as he saw it. These monsters were everywhere and were resurrected with every blood moon, they had no real value.

  
He walked through the Outpost Ruins when something caught his eye. Leaning against a ruined fountain was the mossy skeleton of a guardian. Aita excitedly rushed over to investigate. What a marvel these things were. He had heard stories, but this was his first time seeing one in person, even if it was just the remains. He ran his hand over the hollow metal armor. These had been key factors to Ganon’s victory 100 years ago. Clever and cunning as he was, he had turned his enemy’s weapons against them and created the Calamity. It was a punishment for the Royal Family. How incredible it must have been to see this army, alive and glowing with Ganon’s power, razing the countryside.

  
Aita eventually pulled himself away and continued. After all, what Kei had said was true. The hero was weak now, and would be an easy target for whoever found him first. For the first time, Aita realized just how lucky he had been. The hero left the Shrine of Resurrection very recently, if the information from their scouts could be trusted. He couldn’t have traveled far, and he would be traveling to Kakariko Village to meet with the Sheikah elder. So, perhaps he would have traveled the very same route Aita was on now! Eji must have had a say in the footsoldier assignments and was giving him a head start, he thought. He always suspected he was his mentor’s favorite student.

  
He spotted a strange blue structure. He heard about these, it was a shrine. They had all started glowing on the same day that those ancient Sheikah towers had risen from the ground. It was the event that cued the Yiga Clan to check the plateau in the first place. But, this shrine was glowing blue. Could it mean that the hero had been here?  
  
Aita’s mind was racing as he crossed the Proxim Bridge, when he felt a chill run through him. A breeze had picked up, and something compelled him to look to his left. A tall dark spire contrasted against the pale blue sky on the horizon. It was surrounded by bizarre spikes and enormous, blocky structures. He recognized it from illustrations. It was Hyrule Castle. And swirling around it like ribbons of smoke and fire...that was Calamity Ganon.

  
Aita had often dreamed of this moment, his first time seeing Him with his own eyes. All his life he had been told of his majesty, his power. Ganon was like a god to the Yiga, one that would cleanse Hyrule and allow it to start over, hindered only by the evil and greed of Hyrule’s princess and her dog, the so-called “hero”.

  
But now, facing it, even miles away, Aita was filled with a sickening feeling. He was unable to tear his eyes away as this emotion grew in the pit of his chest. Fear? Dread? No, that was impossible. He wasn’t supposed to feel this, laying eyes upon Ganon. It wasn’t right. He should be overwhelmed with awe and glory, not-

  
“Hey, you feeling alright?”

 

Aita jumped spun to face the source of the voice. It was just a regular Hylian patrolling the bridge, with a concerned look on his face. Aita took a deep breath and continued on, silently.  


  
He tried not to think about it much. It must have just been excitement, nerves, at most. He passed one of the Sheikah towers soon after; it was blue just like the shrine before, but Aita didn’t let his excitement overwhelm him again.

  
In time he arrived at a stable. Horses were ugly, smelly creatures and Aita loathed the thought of spending a night here, but he needed rest if he wanted to stand a chance against the hero. Putting on a friendly face and speaking warmly to the clerk at the stable, he was pleased to hear that someone strange had traveled through here in the past day or so. A man with shaggy blonde hair, wearing not much more than rags, and an odd, glowing device hanging from his belt.

 

He set out early the next morning to the north, and soon found himself at Kakariko Bridge. Now, it was just a matter of waiting.

  
  
It was easy to stay inconspicuous. The few travelers who passed by now and then thought nothing of someone off the side of the road, resting. Some would stop to rest themselves, probably seeing safety in company. Occasionally they would try to strike up conversation, but Aita had no interest in talking to Hylians and remained focused on his duty.  
His training had given him the stamina to go great lengths without food or sleep. Over the next 24 hours he slept only briefly, and ate just a single banana from the bunch that be brought as rations. He bided his time, watching the trail ahead for anyone that fit the hero’s description.  
  
Early in the afternoon the next day, he saw a figure approaching from the North. Blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, a collection of mismatched weapons strapped to his back. Aita kept an eye on him until he was close enough...yes, there it was. Sure enough, the Sheikah Slate at his waist! It was him, the hero. He was wearing a Hylian Tunic now, a bit of extra armor that the Sheikah had no doubt set him up with, but that wouldn’t make a difference.

  
Aita stayed calm and natural as the hero approached, standing up as he drew closer.

  
“Greetings, fellow traveler!” he called out. The hero looked towards him and gave a clueless smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve encountered anyone else on this road, mind if I join you? Travel is always better with someone at your side, isn’t it?” Aita said, keeping up his friendly facade.

  
“S-sure!” The hero answered. His voice was soft and unconfident. His whole demeanor was unexpected to Aita. When he had been told stories of the hero, he was this figure of unstoppable destruction, pure instinct and fighting prowess channeled into a human body. But this person... he was small, a few inches shorter than Aita, and looked as if he’d been napping under a bush. There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek and bits of leaves in his hair. He looked weak and oblivious.

  
“Great! So, where are you headed?” Aita asked, keeping pace with the hero as they crossed the bridge.

  
“Um, Hateno, I think it’s called? I was told to take this road to the East and meet somebody there. Do you know anyone named Purah?”

 

Aita struggled to keep the smile off his face. He was so naive, so trusting; this would be a cinch. “No, I can’t say I’ve heard of her.” He lied. “But hey, maybe we can look for her together! I’m headed towards Hateno as well.”

  
  
They were now walking through a field riddled with toppled stone walls and pillars, and dozens of empty guardian shells.

  
“This is a beautiful area, isn’t it?” Aita said, gazing towards the dilapidated machines.

  
“Yeah, it is.” The hero replied, looking off in the other direction at a herd of wild horses.

  
“You know, Hateno was the only village spared by the Calamity, 100 years ago. It remains virtually untouched.”

  
“Really?” The hero turned to Aita, a note of hope in his voice.

  
“That’s right.” Aita said. “Soon we’ll reach Fort Hateno, thats where the legendary hero himself single handedly fought off Calamity Ganon’s army. Most people think he died there...but not me.” Aita saw the hero smiling out of the corner of his eye as he spoke.

  
Aita continued as the hero listened, enthralled. “I think he’s still out there. Walking among us, hiding in plain sight, regaining his strength before he challenges Ganon again. I’d love to meet him, wouldn’t you? And where would he be, but the site of his greatest battle?”

  
“Why?” the hero responded eagerly. “Why do you want to meet him?”

  
Aita couldn’t hold back his smile any longer. It was just too easy. “I’m glad you asked, Link.” he said, barely holding his excitement. “I’m going to kill him.”

  
The hero stopped his his tracks and Aita turned to face him.

 

“But hey, it looks like I won’t need to finish the trip.”  
  
In a cloud of red smoke, Aita dropped his disguise and couldn’t help but laugh as he drew his sickle. In shock, Link staggered back and hastily drew his traveler’s sword and a flimsy wooden shield.

  
Aita teleported behind him and charged, his first attack hit and knocked the hero to the ground. Wincing in pain, he pulled himself up and swung his sword clumsily towards the Yiga. Aita blocked it with his sickle in an instant, and to his delight, the hero’s weak weapon broke on impact, leaving him dumbfounded and holding nothing but the hilt.

  
“This is all the legendary hero has to offer?” Aita taunted him as he jumped back. “I was hoping you could at least be a challenge for me!”

  
Panic in his eyes, the hero drew another weapon, a simple boko club. He looked at it for a moment, realized its uselessness, and took off running.

  
“You’re not getting away, hero!” Aita yelled and sprinted after him. The hero was fast, but his stamina was poor, and Aita was closing in.  
  
In a last ditch effort for his life, the hero stopped and spun around. He raised the thick wooden club over his head, and threw it towards the Yiga with all his might.

  
Aita didn’t have time to even slow down before the hunk of dense wood flew towards him. The heavy impact on his forehead stopped him in an instant, and he felt the brief sensation of sunlight on his cheeks as shards of porcelain fell from his face. The world around him was flooded with white, and he crashed to the ground.  



	2. Ash Swamp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita wakes up in the hero's camp. Back home at the base, he lies about his broken mask.

When Aita came to, his head was spinning. One by one, his senses came back to him. The air was cold, except for a source of warmth somewhere in front of him. It was quiet, except for the sound of a gentle breeze, and a light crackling noise. He smelled wood smoke, and something else...something sweet? 

  
Disoriented, he tried to blink the blur out of his eyes until the dark shadow and orange blob of light in front of him materialized into a figure sitting cross legged by a campfire. When the vertigo subsited, Aita recognized the figure. It was the hero. 

  
“H-huh?” Aita blurted out, and Link turned around to face him. 

  
“Hey! You’re awake, how are you feeling?” He started to get up and move towards Aita. 

  
In a flash, Aita reached to his leg and pulled out a concealed knife. He held it out, leveling it with the hero. “Don’t come any closer, and don’t try anything funny.” He said.

  
Link backed up slightly and held up his hands. “Hey, take it easy! You’ve got a head injury, try not to move too much!”

  
He was right; just from the movement of drawing the blade, Aita’s head was swimming again. He groaned and eased himself down into the dirt until the ground felt solid again, but kept the knife in his fist. 

  
It was early evening now, Aita realized he must have been out of it for several hours. They were out in the middle of a grassy field. He struggled to place the location until he saw the same dilapidated guardians and stone ruins nearby. Link sat in front of a cooking pot, and around them were a few worn down and scarred logs and watchtowers. This was a bokoblin camp, or it used to be. Its original owners were nowhere to be seen. 

  
Aita’s mask was gone. It had been shattered by the impact of the club. Slowly and gingerly, still laying on the ground, he raised a hand and felt where it had hit. He felt dried blood in his eyebrow, down to his temple, but the injury itself was covered in a cloth bandage. Why did the hero bother to deliver first aid? Why didn’t he just leave his unconscious body in the road?   
  
Link had returned his attention to the fire and whatever he was preparing there, but he clearly kept aware of Aita’s movements. 

  
“So, you’re going to torture me for information.” Aita said “Don’t waste your time. I’m not saying anything.”

  
“W-what?” Link turned to him with a mortified look. “No, gods no. I knocked you out and I felt bad. I couldn’t just leave you there.”

  
“Stop acting so innocent.” Aita spoke with venomous tone. “I know what you’re really like.”

  
“You do?” Link asked, innocently.

  
“Uh...yes.” Aita replied, caught off guard by his response.

  
Link waited for an elaboration.

  
“You’re, um…you’re a ruthless killer. You’re just an attack dog for the royal family, a mindless pawn, willing to destroy anything you’re pointed towards!”

  
Link’s brow furrowed in an expression of conflict. “Hm...I’m sorry to hear that… Impa told me that I used to be really brave and strong, but I think we were friends back then? So I guess it would make sense that different people would have different opinions about me.

 

Aita was dumbfounded. Why was he acting like this? Was this some kind of strategy? It must be some kind of attempt to confuse him, to knock him off balance; well, he was unbalanced enough as it was in his current state. He could manage to sit up straight, but was still overwhelmed with dizziness. He thought about escaping, but the focus needed to teleport back to the base would be impossible to muster up like this.   
  


Link had completed whatever he was making, and noticed Aita attempting to stand. “Don’t rush yourself, you’ll only make it worse. Here!” He put down a plate of food on the ground, and carefully pushed it within Aita’s reach. He recognized the food immediately, it was bananas. But, they had been heated, and coated in oil and some kind of suspicious crust. Aita picked up the plate and investigated them.   
  


“I hope you don’t mind that I took those from your bag. I’m kind of low on ingredients, and I thought since you were carrying them it would be something you liked.” Link said.   
  


“What...what did you do to them?”   
  


“I fried them!” Link said, excitedly. “Mixed up a batter with some flour, sugar, water, an egg I found… then peeled and coated the bananas and fried them in oil. The trick is frying them over very high heat, so I had to wait a while for the fire to really get going.”   
  


“...What’s this crystalization on top, then? Poison?”   
  


Link laughed. “No, that’s sugar. It’s really good! I tried it for the first time in Kakariko yesterday, it’s really sweet and tasty.”   
  


Aita had nothing to eat for the past day but a single (raw) banana. This dish...it smelled incredible. It was tempting. Against his better judgement, Aita picked up the fork and sliced into the soft fruit. Taking the smallest piece, he placed it onto his tongue.   
  


It was absolutely unbelievable. The warmth and softness of it, the crispy, flaky outside. The flavor of the banana had been magnified tenfold, and the sweetness was so powerful, so delicious. Instantly Aita forgot about his paranoia and went back for another bite, and another. He had always loved bananas of course, but this was on another level. This was magical.    
  


Link smiled, excited to see him enjoying the food. “I have some apples, if you like that I bet you’d love hot buttered apples, too!”   
  


“Whatch an apple.” Aita said, his mouth full.    
  


“Oh!” Link searched through his bag and pulled out a round, shiny fruit. “It’s this!! You’re in for treat, they’re my favorite so far.”   
  


He carefully sliced the apple and set it aside, and then cut a pad of a white, oily material and dropped it into the pan. It melted in the heat and produced a warm, savory smell.   
  


“What was that?” Aita asked, scooting closer to the fire to watch. His vertigo and pain had completely disappeared since he ate the fried bananas.   
  


“Goat butter.” Link replied. “And now we add the apple slices…and it’ll be done soon! They can’t cook for long or else they’ll turn too soft.”   
  


“...Why aren’t they soft?”    
  


“Hm. I don’t know.” Link said. “Apples are supposed to be crispy and juicy.”   
  


Aita wrinkled his nose. That sounded gross. Fruit should be soft. Bananas were soft.   
  


In no time at all, Link spooned out the apple slices, carefully plated them, and handed the dish to Aita.   
  


“I’m Link, by the way.”   
  


“I know.” Aita said, taking the dish from him. He was curious to try it, it smelled fantastic.   
  


“What’s your name?” Link asked, plating the remaining sliced apples for himself.   
  


“It’s Aita.” He raised a fork with an apple slice to his mouth, and froze, realizing what he’d just done.   
  


“That’s a nice name!” Link said, completely unaware. “Do you have any other favorite foods, Aita?”   
  


Aita dropped the plate of apples into the fire. The butter quickly ignited and burned. He stood up as Link was frantically trying to save his wooden plate from becoming charcoal, and Aita pointed his knife at him again.   
  


“Didn’t I tell you not to try anything funny? You tricked me.” Aita said, back to his venomous tone.   
  


“W-what do you mean?” Link asked, distraught. He had managed to smother the fire on his tableware.    
  


“I told you my name, you idiot!” Aita yelled. “I’m supposed to be the same as everyone else in my clan, indistinguishable! You broke my mask, you know my identity; I shouldn’t even have an identity! I belong to something greater!”   
  


Link was visibly distressed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you! I just thought...It’s just your name, I...I thought we could be…” He trailed off. “H-how am I supposed to see you again if I don’t know your name?”    
  


Aita stepped away from the fire.“Oh, you’ll see me again, but you won’t even know it... To you, I’ll be just another Yiga soldier, sent to kill you.” He formed the signal to teleport with his hand. “And next time, you won’t beat me.”   
  


In an explosion of red smoke, he was gone.   
  
  
  


Aita arrived at the entrance to the hideout. The thought of returning so soon...it was almost too humiliating to bare. He nearly turned around and left, but he had no mask. He felt too exposed. The hero knew his name, his face… he had sat with the hero and shared a meal with him! He had eaten his cooking! What a fool he had been. Aita rubbed his temple and felt the cloth bandage that Link had put there to stop the bleeding. He tore it off and discarded it to the side. There was still a small cut that had scabbed over, most likely from the sharp edge of the broken mask, but there was no pain. Whatever the hero had done to those bananas seemed to have gotten rid of the bruise.   
  


There was no way he could tell anyone what happened. The simple fact that he had been defeated in battle was shameful enough, but if anyone learned that he had fraternized with the enemy instead of fighting until his final breath to kill him...he didn’t want to think about it.    
  


He tried to look confident as he stormed into the hideout. He needed to find Eji and get a new mask as soon as possible, preferably without being spotted.    
  
“Woah, Aita! What the hell happened to you?” Aita rolled his eyes. Like flies to a dead animal, other footsoldiers gathered around him as he walked.   
  


“Where’s your mask?” Someone asked, a voice he didn’t know or care about. “You just got that! Did you drop it? Learn to take care of your things, Aita.”   
  


“That’s pretty gross!” Someone reached up to poke at the scrape on his forehead and he slapped their hand away. “I wonder if that’ll leave a scar.”   
  


“Shut up.” Aita snapped. “You’re giving me a headache.”   
  


“We can see that!” they laughed.   
  


They turned the corner and came face to face with a blademaster, and the laughing instantly stopped as the group stood to attention. Aita felt the man’s eyes bore into him through his mask. “...Well?” he asked. It was Eji.   
  


Aita took a deep breath. “...A lynel.” He lied, smoothly. “I unknowingly wandered into its territory, and it attacked me. While I tried to escape, it fired an arrow that hit my mask. Had I not been wearing it, I would have died.”   
  


The other footsoldiers were dead quiet as the blademaster deliberated.   
  


“You have been trained to fight the legendary hero, the greatest threat to the world, and yet you run from one of Hyrule’s beasts? Did you lack the ability to kill it, or just the nerve?”   
  


Aita felt his cheeks and ears turn warm with embarrassment while he tried to think of an excuse to cover up his story. Although Eji was his mentor, one doesn’t become a blademaster without being cutthroat and severe.    
  


“Perhaps I was too hasty in promoting you. You could do with another few months in training, if you can’t stand against a lynel…”   
  


A punishment was inevitable, but Aita’s heart was pounding in his chest at the thought of being forced back into training. That wasn’t an option, it couldn’t be. He would never have a chance to kill the hero if he was trapped here for even a single month. He couldn’t even comprehend the possibility of failing like this.   
  


“Blademaster Eji, sir…” A footsoldier made his way to Aita at the head of the group. It was Goro.   
“With utmost respect, Lynels serve Calamity Ganon, don’t they? And their power is considerable.” Goro said. “Im sure Aita had the capability to defeat it, but doing so would be counterproductive to our goals. Killing a monster out in Hyrule just means one less enemy to the Hero; one less soldier for Ganon’s army.”   
  


Eji considered this for a moment. “...Fine. But you won’t let it happen again. Come with me, Aita.”    
  


Aita turned and nodded thankfully towards Goro as he followed the Blademaster away, and Goro gave a low thumbs-up while the other footsoldiers dispersed.    
  
After a silent walk through the dim halls of the hideout, Eji spoke. “I expected better of you, Aita.”   
  


Aita felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he was overwhelmed with shame. “I know, blademaster. I’m sorry.”   
  


“I gave you that mask, trusting that you would use it to bring glory and victory to our clan. And you allowed it to be destroyed, and come running back to me, begging for another. It’s pitiful.”   
  


“...I know. I’m sorry.” Aita managed to say. He felt so small.   
  


“You should be grateful that I even allow you to step foot outside this base again. Other blademasters are not so forgiving with their footsoldiers.”   
  


“I am grateful to you for giving me a second chance, master Eji.” He wished he could disappear.    
They came to a heavy stone door, deep within the lower depths of the base. Eji pushed it open, and a rush of cold air came out of the dark room.   
  


Aita knew what was next, but Eji gave the order anyway. “Step inside and remove your uniform.”   
  


This was a common form of discipline.  He had been here a few times as a child. It was a difficult one, but Aita was grateful that it was less time consuming than physical labor or other grueling punishments that often doubled as training exercises. At least this way, he could return to Hyrule and get back to hunting the hero before someone else picked up on his trail.    
It had come to be known as “The Swim”.   
  


Methodically, Aita removed his red footsoldier uniform and gave it to Eji, until he was left in nothing but his undergarments. He carefully stepped forward, the soles of his feet already painful against the cold, wet stone. When he reached the edge of the platform, he stepped off and fell 10 feet down into the frigid, dark water.    
  


This pool was a collection of snowmelt from the Gerudo Highlands that had seeped down into the mountains and collected here. No one knew how deep it was, only that it was unbearably cold.    
  


Aita shivered as he treaded water, already feeling his fingers and toes going numb. He couldn’t see him in the dark, but he knew Eji was up there on the platform, watching. He tried to count the seconds in his head, trying to judge when Eji thought it was long enough. But time seemed to stretch on forever as the cold crept into Aita’s body. His movements became jerky and uncoordinated as he tried to hold in his warmth. Was Eji still up there? He wouldn’t have left him, would he? The cold and the darkness was oppressive, it was all around him, he felt like he was trapped here for eternity, and soon his body would lose the last of its warmth and movement and he would seize up and sink deep, deep into the mountains and be left there.   
  


“That’s enough. Come out.” Eji’s voice was his salvation. Without hesitation he swam to the ladder and began to climb. His fingers stung and burned as he wrapped them around the metal rungs, and his muscles felt too weak to carry his body, but there was no way he would allow himself to fall back into the icy water.    
  


When he reached the platform, he was shivering vigorously, every muscle in his body tensed and his teeth chattering together. Eji threw a blanket around his shoulders, which Aita accepted and pulled close to his skin. His mentor offered out the folded stack of clothing, his uniform, with a new, white porcelain mask on top. Aita carefully took them from him, despite his body shaking.    
  


They left the room, Eji closed the door, and Aita’s fear subsided.    
  


“Remember what I told you.” the blademaster said as he turned to leave. “You won’t let it happen again.”   
  


“No. Never again.” Aita said.


	3. Hateno Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei and Goro sense something is up, and Aita tries to track down the hero's trail.

By the third day of waiting in disguise at the Ternio Trail between Lanayru and Eldin, Kei was sick of this plan. Her post was by the fork in the road that came from Lanayru. To the left was the Maw of Death Mountain, and to the right was Akkala. For what purpose would the hero go to Akkala, she thought. There was nothing in Akkala. And sure, he would eventually need to climb the trail up to Death Mountain, but there was no way he’d be doing it just days after waking up from a 100 year sleep. The more she thought about her horrible position, the more annoyed she became.

  
Just who approved this plan, anyway? Master Kohga? It seemed nearly every other person in the clan adored him, but Kei thought that her respect should be worked for, and she never saw Master Kohga work for anything. This was an opinion she kept to herself of course, one doesn’t just start bad mouthing their superiors and expect to get away unscathed. 

  
They somehow chose the strategy that uses the most manpower and resources possible, but with the least chance of success. If they really wanted to kill him, they would invest spies in pinpointing the hero’s location and reporting it back to base, and then sending a group of highly specialized assassins to kill him in an opportune moment. But no, new graduates like her were scattered across Hyrule like seeds, told to stay put and just hope the hero just walks into their grasp. 

  
Kei was sure that was what they were doing, anyway. Yes, this plan was an attempt to get footsoldiers like her out of the way to cover some extra ground while the blademasters did the real hunting. Everyone wanted to be the one to kill the hero themselves, the blademasters were no exception. 

  
So, if they were going to skew the rules against her, she didn’t see why she should play by their rules. She was going to kill the hero, and she would do it her own way. But first, she would need some more supplies.

  
  
She teleported back to the hideout and headed to the storage room. She grabbed more bananas, arrows, some rupees.Technically, she should be requesting these materials from Eji, her supervisor, but she couldn't be bothered with the bureaucracy right now. She didn’t need much, Kei was much better at surviving in the wild than her peers. She hunted and ate meat and other foods the rest of her clan turned their noses up at. Kei was pragmatic, and did what needed to be done.

 

“Do you have permission to take all that?” came a familiar voice from the doorway.   
  


“Goro, why the hell are you still here. You were supposed to leave for your post days ago.” Kei said, putting another bundle of arrows in her pack.   
  


“I did leave!” Goro protested. “But I came back, like you. My post is up in Hebra for gods’ sake, it’s too cold up there. Besides, why would the hero be in Hebra so soon, it’s a waste of time…”   
  


Kei narrowed her eyes at him, a signature expression of annoyance that was now hidden behind her mask. She never liked Goro, he was lazy, mediocre, forceless. Aita started out training as a weakling too, but at least he worked to overcome his failings. Goro just seemed to accept them. The only aspect of their training where he seemed to excel was strategy, so at least he wasn’t totally useless.   
  


“Besides, it’s a good thing I came back when I did.” Goro said. “I practically saved Aita’s life yesterday.”   
  


“Aita? What happened to Aita?” Kei asked.    
  


“He came back injured with a cut on his head, and his mask was nowhere to be seen. He said a lynel broke it with an arrow.” Goro explained.  “Eji was furious; he would have knocked him back into training if I didn’t vouch for him.”   
  


Kei frowned. “A lynel...Do you know where Aita was stationed?”   
  


“No.” Goro said. “Same as you, he didn’t tell me. Why?”   
  


“It’s nothing.” Kei said. She stepped towards the door, but Goro blocked the way.   
  


“C’mon, I gave you a good bit of info. Tell me what you’re thinking, I’m curious.”   
  


Kei let out an indignant huff, and then spoke quietly. “...Lynels are rare, and they don’t have territories near people. Us footsoldiers are stationed near roads, not out in the wilderness...so where could Aita have encountered a lynel unless he purposefully left his post?”   
  


She was surprised to hear Goro chuckle, and respond in a low voice. “...I’m glad we’re on the same page, Kei. You think Aita’s breaking some rules?”   
  


“...I don’t know.” she said after a brief hesitation. “That doesn’t seem like him.”   
  


Kei had known Aita all her life. He was an irritating child; trying to keep up with her, failing, then moping about it. He always seemed desperate for her attention and validation, but would lose steam when he just wasn’t good enough. Finally she got fed up and told him he’d always be a failure if he kept giving up like that. And from that day forward, he didn’t. He became even more irritating when he actually started to match her skill level. It was always a contest between them, but in a strange way, she got along better with him than anyone else she knew.   
  


“You’re right.” Goro said. “Breaking the rules sounds like something you would do, not Aita. So tell me, just what do you need more arrows for, unless you’ve encountered the hero yourself?”   
  


She gave him another futile scowl. If she didn’t let him in on her plan, he’d go and squeal to a blademaster about his suspicions. “Fine... I’m leaving my post at the Ternio Trail and actively looking for the hero, instead of waiting for him to fall into my lap like everyone else. There’s a higher chance of him being in Central Hyrule or the Necluda Area since he has ties with Kakariko and Hateno, so that’s where I’m going.”   
  


“Ah, interesting. Let me know how it goes.” Goro said, and stepped aside. “And don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”   
  


Kei walked past him out of the room, but he spoke again.   
  


“Oh, one more thing about Aita...he didn’t have any burns.” He said.   
  


Kei looked at him, confused, but obviously he wasn’t going to elaborate. She turned and left, ready to head out into Hyrule again.    
  


  
He didn’t have any burns. What on earth did that mean; what’s so strange about that? He was hit with an arrow, so why should he be burned? A lynel fired and arrow and broke his mas-   
  


It suddenly hit her.   
  


Lynels almost always used elemental arrows. She’d never even heard of a lynel using a regular arrow.   
  


Both fire arrows and shock arrows would have left burns on impact. Ice arrows are powerful enough to leave frostbite, which should have been just as noticeable. And if it was a bomb arrow, Aita should be dead. None of the footsoldiers had access to healing elixirs, so if Aita truly encountered a Lynel and he was hit in the mask with one of its arrows, it should have left more evidence besides a cut on his forehead.    
  


Kei was consumed with this puzzle as she made her way to the hideout exit. She had just left the hideout when something caught her eye; a bit of fabric, obscured by some sand. At first, she thought it was a piece of someone’s uniform. It was a strip of flimsy cloth that was dark red in color. But, on a closer look, the red was just a mottled stain on the original tan color. Blood. This had been someone’s makeshift bandage. And there was only one Yiga who had returned to the hideout with an injury recently.   
  


Perhaps she was paranoid, shaken up by the thought of Aita hiding something, or planning something. Where she would normally ignore garbage, she folded the dried, bloodied bandage up and tucked it away in her bag as evidence.   
  
  
  


Aita teleported back to Hyrule as soon as he was ready. He rested the night at the hideout, allowed himself to warm up and regain his strength, and returned to the last place he had seen the hero: the bokoblin camp near Fort Hateno, right next to the Ash Swamp.    
  


The bokoblins were still gone, and thankfully the hero had moved on as well. Aita couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it would be to teleport back after his dramatic departure, and find him still camping there. He instantly transformed into his disguise and, no wait, he thought. This disguise was no good, he had already met and talked to the hero looking like this. He would be recognized for sure.    
  


Aita tried to think of a new one, but it wasn’t so simple. Since his disguise was made by illusion and magic, it had to be carefully crafted and any impulsive changes could throw off the balance and ruin it, creating a look that was unsettling and would throw off even the most trusting of Hylians.   
  


The hero really had gone and ruined everything for him, didn’t he. It didn’t matter, he would have to use his disguise to interact with other Hylians, and then stealth and ambush the hero instead of trying to gain his trust first.    
  


As he was about to leave, Aita noticed something by the cold fire pit. A small collection of ingredients had been left there; a bit of flour and sugar, an egg, and a half a bunch of bananas. He crouched down and looked at them. It was the ingredients to the fried bananas the hero had made. Link had left them there, for him. Aita balled his fists. How infuriating. He was mocking him, now. Fine, he thought. If the hero was going to sponsor and support his own demise, Aita would let him. He took the ingredients. It was only food, after all. He traveled first towards Hateno; there was a chance he could still be there.    
  
  


By the Cliffs of Quince, he spotted another clan member in disguise waiting by the road. A girl named Ruka. She had been trained by a different blademaster so they weren’t close, but being the same age as her he had seen her at their graduation and occasionally in training. She was a fine fighter, not spectacular, and her timid personality and lack of initiative held her back.   
  


He questioned whether or not he should approach her, he shouldn’t even be away from his post at Kakariko Bridge right now. But, he wouldn’t get far without more of a lead, and Ruka seemed gullible enough to use.   
  


“Morning, Ruka” Aita said, casually.   
  


“Hey! Get lost Aita!” she hissed “This is my post, get back to your own.”   
  


“You seem pretty defensive. Did the hero come through here or something? You don’t want me to be here in case he comes back?”   
  


She glanced down to the side. “...I’m going to tell your blademaster that you’re disobeying orders.”   
  


“Calm down, Ruka. I’m walking to my post now.” Aita lied. “It’s on the Marblod Plain, just south of the tower there. So, is there anything I should be prepared for, or not?”   
  


“O-oh, I see.” Ruka stuttered, her confidence shaken. “...If you really want to know, I saw him early this morning. I tried to fight him but he just ran away… There were more Hylian travelers up the road, and I thought they would all gang up on me so, I stopped chasing him. But you can’t tell my blademaster that I gave up! She’d kill me.”   
  


Aita had to keep from rolling his eyes at how pathetic she was. “Sure.” He said “Thanks, I’ll know to be on guard.”   
  


“Oh, by the way! You just came from the hideout, right?” She said “The hero was carrying a vicious sickle. I think he might have already fought and defeated somebody...it kind of intimidated me, actually. Was there anyone that had just come back, beaten?”   
  


Aita clenched his jaw in anger. Of course the hero would have taken his weapon. He had made sure to grab another while at the hideout, but the thought of his tool going to help the hero on his quest, even insignificantly, annoyed him.   
  


“I don’t know.” Aita responded curtly, and left Ruka behind him.   
  


  
Aita made camp in the Ginner Woods, just outside the gates of Hateno. He found a boulder along the road from atop which he could easily see travelers approach from either direction for a fair distance without being seen from the path below. This patch of trees was infested with bokoblins, however. Occasionally they would throw rocks at him, but they were easy work to eliminate.   
After a few days, his patience wore thin. Had the hero spent all this time in Hateno? Perhaps he was was staking too much on the possibility that Link would exit the village the same way he entered. Aita hoped he was okay, hoped that another member of his clan hadn’t gotten to him first. Only so he would still have the opportunity to kill him himself, of course.   
The thought of entering a town made him nervous. Kakariko was filled with Sheikah, so that was undeniably the worst...but Hateno was mostly just regular Hylians. He would go in, search for the hero, and get out. It was that simple. If he didn’t find him, then he would just have to return to his post at Kakariko Village. His trail was getting cold.    
  


Aita entered the gates of Hateno. He was cautious, but wouldn’t let it show. It was late afternoon, and the village was still busy, and he couldn’t afford to look suspicious.    
  


He passed a few small fields of vegetables to his left, a farmer was working there who paid Aita no mind. A girl called out to him, beckoning him to check out the general store. A pair of children ran by, laughing. Some middle aged women gossiped by a water trough.    
  


It was...unsettling. People were relaxed and cheerful. No one was scrutinizing his presence like he thought they might. He had never been around so many people who weren’t from the Yiga Clan, but things were perfectly fine, he was fitting in without being detected. And yet, something was bothering him. He couldn’t shake the feeling, seeing these people smiling and these kids playing. This atmosphere, it was just so...alien to him.    
  


He looked around for any sign of the hero. He wasn’t even sure exactly what he was looking for, anyway. Why had Link come to Hateno, again? Right, Purah, she was the Sheikah elder’s sister. There was no way he was going to face her, alone. He wished that he asked Link more when they talked; where he was planning on going next, how he was planning to get there, where to find goat butter?   
  


Growing next to a clear river in the center of the village, Aita spotted a tree growing many shiny, red fruits. He jogged over to it. One was hanging low enough to reach, so Aita stretched up and plucked it off the branch. An apple.   
  


That was a strange way for fruit to grow, he thought. When bananas grew, they came together in these huge bundles, with dozens of them growing off of one center stalk. A banana growing alone independently, that was impossible. But the apples seemed to be haphazardly scattered about through the branches of this tree. Some hung on the lower branches, like the one he picked, and others grew high up on the top, far out of reach.   
  


Aita felt the fruit in his hands. It was firm, warm from the sunlight. The skin was smooth and vividly colored with shades of red and yellow. When the hero prepared the apple before, he simply cut into it, and didn’t worry about the skin like you would with a banana peel. Aita never did taste that buttered apple that Link made for him. Curious, he raised the fruit to his mouth and took a small bite.   
  


The initial texture was upsetting. It seemed too hard and made a cracking noise as his teeth sunk into it. And then with a snap, a chunk of it broke off into his mouth and he forced himself to chew. To his surprise, it was a strong, pleasantly sweet flavor, unlike anything he’d eaten before. The fruit was dripping juice where he’d taken the bite. It was good. Different, but good.   
  


Aita wandered a little further, when he saw an outdoor kitchen with two cooking pots. His mind wandered to the ingredients in his bag, and the memory of those excellent fried bananas...it wouldn’t hurt to try. He had everything he needed, it should be easy. Nearby was a stone lamp, glowing with blue flame. Odd, Aita thought, but fire was fire. Sure enough, when he transferred the flame to the logs below the pot, it turned orange and red.   
  


Aita certainly cooked...something, but it wasn’t the delicious fried bananas he had eaten nights before. The heat had softened the bananas to mush, and the flour and sugar had just thickened the mixture into some disgustingly sweet paste. He looked at his creation disapprovingly. Link had said there was some kind of trick to it, but he didn’t remember what. He threw it away. What a waste of perfectly good bananas.   
  


Disappointed at his culinary experiment, Aita sat down on a bench inside the outdoor kitchen when his foot knocked against something under the seat. He looked under the bench, and there on the ground, pushed against the wall out of sight, was a familiar sickle.    
  


Aita grabbed it and slowly pulled it out, careful not to catch anyone’s attention. It was indeed a vicious sickle, but he had no way of knowing if it was his. It was very worn out, dull and close to breaking. Then he noticed that tied to the handle, wrapped in the red fabric there, was a small piece of wood. He unraveled it. Delicately carved into the surface were two words: Zora’s Domain.   
  



	4. Lanayru Wetlands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spurred on by a message left by the hero, Aita travels towards Zora's Domain.

Aita left Hateno village as soon as he found the wooden note. It had to be a message from Link to where he was going next, that was the only way it made sense. The hero knew Aita would come to Hateno to find him, he must have left the sickle there as a clue. Zora’s Domain.

He first made his way back to the town gate, but thought better of it. Passing by Ruka again was a bad idea, especially since she thought he was at the Marblod Plain. It would be difficult to explain himself a second time. That meant if he wanted to go North to Zora’s Domain, he would have to travel off the road.

He traveled up the path towards the Ancient Laboratory, but upon reaching the Hateno Pasture, took a left and walked alongside the fence. He continued on until he reached the cliff at the base of Madorna Mountain. Traveling along the base of a cliff sounded like a good idea for stealth, not that anyone would be particularly looking for him. He followed it to the west, passing Nirvata Lake and over Ovli Plain.

He hadn’t been out in the Hyrule wilderness, much. Never alone, either. His training involved excursions into the Gerudo Highlands and the Gerudo Desert to learn survival and endurance, but it was always with a group and often supervised by a blademaster. Here, walking through the tall grass, wind in his face, listening to the chirping of the birds above him and the crickets below him...it was peaceful. He didn’t have to fake a smile for Hylian travelers or talk to anyone. He could have probably even dropped his disguise, but it seemed too risky. He was still relatively close to Hateno Village, after all.

By the time he reached the Robred Dropoff, his flat ground had run out. From here he could see the road below him, even Ruka standing at her post in the distance. No other choice but to start climbing the cliff behind him. Rock climbing was part of his basic training, but he had learned to avoid it when possible. It was too easy to get stranded, too much of a risk to lose your footing or stamina and fall to your death. 

Years ago he heard of someone in another training group who had taken a slip trying to climb an icy mountainside and fell 30 feet. It was just hearsay, of course, but he didn’t doubt it with the kind of training they did. He remembered people saying that if they couldn’t survive, then they were too weak to live. He thought they were right way back then, but clinging to the sheer face of this mountain, he certainly didn’t think he deserved to die if he made a mistake.

He made his way up the cliff face slowly and deliberately, taking breaks where he could find safe footing. Thankfully he had found a bit of a crevice that made it easier, and shielded him from possibly being spotted on the road below. By the time he reached the top, it was getting late, the sun was about to set.

He was at the mouth of the waterfall that fell into Lanayru Promenade, a long, thin lake at the bottom of a canyon. Standing at the edge of the cliff and peering into the water below gave him a sinking feeling. He wasn’t afraid of heights, but the sound of the waterfall roaring beside him and the sight of the cold, dark lake below put him on edge. It was probably freezing.

As he thought about it, a chill breeze suddenly blew through the canyon, enough to make him shiver and cover his shoulders. As he exhaled, his breath came out as a cloud of condensation. The grass at his feet was quickly developing frost. This was bad, he thought. The sun had just set, was the temperature gradient between night and day really that severe? Aita looked around for any place he could possibly take shelter, when he saw it.

A massive flying creature was slowly drifting down the canyon towards him. It was long and thin like a snake, but with six legs and long talons on its feet. On its head was a crown of glimmering blue horns, like icicles. Its white scales glimmered with shimmers of light blue and deep violet. As it flew closer, the updrift grew stronger and the air grew colder, Aita could only shiver and stare in shock as flew near him. 

As it passed, its great, otherwordly eye turned to look at Aita. It was judging him, he thought. He felt like it could wish him dead at that very moment, and that would be the end of him. But the creature didn’t stop, it didn’t even hesitate. It looked away and Aita was left to watch its huge serpentine body drift by. 

And just like that, it was gone, and Aita felt the air around him warming up, returning to normal.

He decided to make a fire and rest until sunrise.

 

The following morning, he had to continue west. There was no way to cross the Lanayru Promenade, so he would be forced to go around it. Navigating the rocky cliff sides and steep grassy hills of the mountains was tough, but nothing he couldn’t handle. The hero probably wasn’t expecting him to make a direct path like this, Aita thought. Perhaps he would reach Zora’s Domain before him and set up a trap. 

He slowly made his way across the Phalian Highlands, strategically and safely losing altitude as he went, to avoid reaching a sudden drop off and have to backtrack. This brought him safely back to flat ground by the West Gate of Lanayru Road.

He was back on the path again, for a short period of time. It was unavoidable in this case. Soon he would be the Rabia Plain. He walked casually along the road until he spotted someone up ahead, and just barely managed to duck behind a boulder before he was seen.

There was a man up ahead by the path that lead out onto the plain. Waiting patiently in one spot like that...it had to be a footsoldier in disguise. Damn it. He couldn’t turn back, the road simply led back to the bottom of the Lanayru Promenade. The steep cliff walls around him were too risky and time consuming to climb; not to mention they might even see him clinging to the side of the mountain, which would be even more suspicious. He didn’t see their face, he wasn’t sure who it was...

He had an idea, but it would only work if they were someone he didn’t know. 

Confidently, he stepped back into the road, walking down the very center. Soon enough, the man looked his way. Aita didn’t recognize his face. He looked a little older, mid to late 20s maybe. Since they weren’t in his age group like Ruka was, he might not know him, and he could just walk by…

“Afternoon.” the man called out. Aita’s heart raced, and he went with his gut reaction.

“Good afternoon!” Aita called back, cheerfully. “Lovely day for traveling, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah it’s some nice weather we’re having.”

“Are you up for any trading today?” Aita said, still chipper as ever. “I’ve got some really nice mushrooms to buy!” he prayed that he would say no.

“Oh uh, no. I’m alright. Have a nice day.”

“You too! See you around!” Aita turned and walked towards the Rabia Plain, sweating bullets.

In his experience, Hylians were too friendly, too talkative. Conversation between Yiga members was typically blunt and to the point, often rude or critical. They didn’t see the purpose of niceties and small talk. Even if the guy suspected Aita was a Yiga member, he was fairly sure he had convinced him he was just a normal Hylian. 

 

He arrived on the Rabia Plain soon enough, but was surprised to hear something strange. Music? An odd, playful tune. It didn’t take long for him to find the source. Standing on a boulder near the farther side of the plain was a giant bird, playing music on some kind of weird instrument.

This must be a Rito, Aita thought. He’d never seen one before. They really were just like giant birds; he’d always thought that was an exaggeration. Gerudo and Hylians look similar enough, he supposed he just assumed it was the same between all the races. He wondered what the Zora looked like, then. What were the Gorons like?

Aita watched him from a distance, crouched in the grass, but this Rito seemed too completely absorbed in his music to even notice his presence. But he was talented. The song was somehow joyful and sad at the same time, and Aita sat down to listen longer. 

The Yiga didn’t have music. Things like that were distractions, Eji used to tell him. As a child, his group was training in the desert at night when they saw a Gerudo caravan in the distance. He remembered being curious about their singing, their dancing. He wanted to stop and listen for a while. There was nothing to be gained from it, Eji said. Music would grab you and hold you for hours, and for what? It was a waste of time. It would make you weak.

Aita allowed himself to sit there listening to the Rito’s song until sunset. He didn’t notice how long it had been until the Rito stopped playing, put away the instrument, spread his wings, and took off. Aita was left to watch him fly away and contemplate the time he’d wasted. Nothing to gain from it. He couldn’t tell what, but Aita felt like perhaps he’d gained something from it after all.

 

The next morning Aita made his way west, down the northern side of Quatta’s Shelf. Just as before, he carefully descended the mountainside until he had safely reached the flat land of the Lanayru Wetlands. From here, he still had to wade through ankle deep waters and then travel north upriver. He didn’t know exactly what he would do in Zora’s Domain. He certainly didn’t want to fight the hero there, this whole time he had been hoping to find him sooner.

That’s when he heard the explosion.

Not too far away, Aita saw a guardian, alive and glowing brilliant red! His heart raced with excitement, he was witnessing a guardian stalker, in person, pursuing something! Eagerly he looked towards the source of its ire. The blast of its beam had thrown up a huge splash of water and he waited for it to settle, wondering if he would see something trying to escape, or a corpse.

Running full tilt, desperately trying to get away from the red laser pointed at his back, was Link. Without fully comprehending what he was doing, Aita sprinted forward. 

Link dove into the ground and barely escaped another beam that was fired over him. But the water and aquatic plants around him made it difficult to move, and he struggled to stand and run as the guardian approached and aimed again.

“Stop! You can’t kill him!” Aita screamed at the machine “I have to kill him!” 

He leaped, landed on the lower shell, and scrambled to climb it. It was enough to cause it to rotate just as the beam was fired, shooting off a white ray of heat into the cliffside. 

Aita was operating on adrenaline and instinct. Quickly he clambered up on the back of the guardian’s head where it couldn’t hurt him. He knew the metal carapace would be impossible to do any damage to, but he might have a chance with the eye! He withdrew his sickle and reached around stab it with the curved end. Just one good jab, and-!

The blade snapped.

Aita heard a whistle and looked up; it was Link! He was running again, but now trying to get the guardian’s attention.

“This way!” he shouted. “Deep water!”

He was right, straight ahead the Millennio Sandbar dropped off into the end of Rutala River. He could see the change between the light shallow waters of the wetlands filled with grass and lilypads, and the dark blue water of the river, separated only by a line of wooden posts from the retaining wall below the surface.

Aita almost lost his grip as the guardian lurched forward to chase Link at impressive speed. It aimed another red laser at the hero’s back. Aita felt the vibrations of the mechanics inside working as the beam charged. On impulse, he grabbed the side of its head and pulled with all his strength as the shot was fired, enough to move it the slightest bit and cause the beam to go careening off into the wetlands, completely obliterating a tree.

It was gaining on Link now, who was struggling to keep his pace through the water and weeds, and running out of energy. Aita again disrupted its firing and caused the ground beside them to explode, dousing him with an eruption of water. 

Link reached the edge of the sandbar and took a running leap into the depths. Right behind him, the guardian charged forward with no cause to stop, tipped over upon reaching the resistance of the extra water, fell through the flimsy wooden posts of the retaining wall, and sank into the river. Aita had no chance to jump off beforehand and was plunged below with it. 

It was cold. He let go of the waterlogged guardian just as the glowing red lights flickered out. His entire body told him to swim up, get back to the surface, get back on land. In the back of his mind creeped memories of that freezing, endlessly deep pool in the hideout. But as he desperately moved towards the surface, he saw the hero, drifting down. He had exhausted himself running, and didn’t have the strength to swim.

Aita didn’t think twice about it, he was still operating on instinct. He reached down and grabbed the hero’s shirt, and pulled up as he swam. 

 

He reached the sandbar and pulled Link up to it. It was shallow enough in this area that his face was above the water as he lay there, gasping for breath. Aita sat, panting, leaning against his bent knee. Eventually Link sat up as well, and stared forward towards the river.

“Aita...you saved my life.” Link said in disbelief.

Aita looked down at himself. Oh, he had...completely forgotten to drop his disguise...Link had recognized him this whole time...

“I-I don’t know how to thank you.” Link said.

Aita stood up, completely expressionless. He muttered something under his breath.

“Sorry?” Link asked. “What did you say?”

In an explosion of red smoke, Aita dropped his illusion. He took out his bow and leveled an arrow at Link.

“I said, your life is mine, hero!!” he yelled.

“Are you serious?!” Link shouted.

Aita drew back on the bow as Link scrambled for the Sheikah Slate. With a quick tap on the screen, his body began to glow and separate into ribbons of light that traveled up into the air and faded away. 

His arrow sunk into the water and sand where Link had been. Aita stared at it for several moments, motionless and quiet.

 

“What the hell did I just do?!” Aita yelled. “Why didn’t I let the guardian kill him?! I was right there, I could have taken credit for it! I could have let him drown!! And he can just teleport, now?! He could have gone anywhere!! How am I supposed to track him if he can go wherever, just like that! I thought only we could do that!!!”

Aita let out a scream of frustration, and suddenly felt overcome with exhaustion. Reality was still setting in, he had helped the hero kill a guardian. He had pulled the hero’s exhausted body out of a river.

On top of everything, it was raining.

Aita dragged himself up on a nearby island. He managed to find a small, rocky cave for shelter, inside which he built a fire to dry off and warm up, and wished that the guardian had blown him to pieces instead of that tree.

 

He didn’t know where to go from here. He couldn’t go to Zora’s Domain. What, was he going to kill the hero in front of a city of giant fish people with sharp teeth and spears? It was back to Kakariko Bridge, then. But the rain was coming down hard, now. He would wait until it passed, he decided. He could teleport of course but...he worried his state of mind was in too much turmoil to pull it off, and the thought of missing his mark and accidentally landing off the Kakariko Bridge and into yet another river made him feel ill.

But the rain didn’t stop. Thankfully the cave was big enough for him to stand and stretch and walk around. Someone, or something, had stored some crates in here with a few arrows and apples. The apples weren’t as nice as the one he had in Hateno, but he ate them anyway. He was out of rations now. On the second day he ventured out into the rain and aimed an arrow at a wild goat for meat, but couldn’t bring himself to let it lose. A type of mushroom was growing on the cave wall, but he’d rather starve. He thought about returning to the base but...he couldn’t bring himself to go back there, failing like he did again. Eji’s words rang in his ears. “You won’t disappoint me.”

After several days, the rain stopped while Aita slept.

That morning, he woke up to a bizarre trumpeting noise, louder than anything he’d ever heard before, and the earth shaking. Aita ran outside of his shelter as fast as possible and saw it, perched atop a mountain upriver, the Divine Beast Vah Ruta. 

It raised its massive stone trunk and pointed it west towards Hyrule Castle. Aita could see a ball of bright red light accumulating at the base of the trunk. Then, in a flash, it shot a red beam through the sky and landed it at Hyrule Castle. Aita marveled at it.

To defeat him, the hero was meant to undo Ganon’s plot from 100 years ago and retake the divine beasts back from his control...had Link really managed to conquer something so powerful? He wondered. How long ago was it that Aita first faced him, and saw how weak he was? The very same hero that was stupid enough to cook fried bananas for his enemy was powerful enough to take back a divine beast from Ganon.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it.


	5. Sarjon Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Depressed and feeling like a failure, Aita returns to the Yiga Hideout. Goro gives him some hopeful news.

Truth be told, Goro didn’t see much of a reason to go out and try to kill the hero himself. He just didn’t see the benefit of going out and putting his life on the line like that. He had gone out once or twice and decided that waiting by the side of some road out on Nowhere Mountain in Hyrule just wasn’t for him. His training group and blademaster may have called him lazy, but he didn’t see it that way. Everyone was working so pointlessly to go after the hero, not that anyone particularly wanted him dead. Nobody knew the guy, how could they care enough? It’s because Master Kohga and the blademasters ordered it. And whoever got it done was going to be set for life.

 

That’s what everyone really wanted. The glory, the fame, the power. Goro didn’t care much about glory or fame, but he was pretty sure he had a way to get the last one.

 

It was something he noticed growing up. Whenever a highly skilled and respected foot soldier was promoted to blademaster, suddenly it would be followed with another one or two promotions. The new blademaster would immediately go back and promote his closest allies, even if they didn’t deserve it. That’s when Goro learned the unsaid rule about  reaching success the Yiga Clan, it wasn’t really about what you do yourself. It’s about who you know. The politics of this place revolved around holding up those you thought would succeed, pushing down those you knew would fail, and using them all to make your own way.

 

So, while Kei and Aita thought he was a slacker, Goro was playing an entirely different game. A social game that involved every footsoldier in this clan. He had chosen his game pieces and he was waiting to see who would win.

 

One of the most promising pieces was Aita. Goro had stuck his neck out for him far more than he should have. He knew that his lynel story was a lie. He was curious about the truth, but asking now could lose Aita’s trust. But, if for whatever reason Aita failed, he might have that as blackmail at least. Kei was a good alternative, but she was too self driven. He worried she might not have any desire to turn back and help her old training pals. She didn’t seem to particularly like him, anyway. Goro had managed to fool Aita at least, so he was his best shot.

 

At the moment, he wasn’t looking too promising. After days and days of being out in Hyrule, right after Vah Ruta was stolen by the hero, Aita returned to the base. He had no rations, no weapon, and despite not being injured, was completely exhausted.

 

Foot soldiers had been coming back pretty regularly at this point. They all reported that they had seen the hero but on attempt to engage him, he just ran. At first Goro considered that this is what could have happened to Aita, but that didn’t explain the lack of weapon. Maybe a lynel broke his sickle, too.

 

For the past several days, he saw Aita sulking around the base. Sometimes he would be training extensively, other times he just laid face down in his bunk in the barracks. It was painful to watch.

This couldn’t go on like this. Goro had invested too much time into Aita for him for him to lose.

 

“Aita. Get up.” Goro said. Aita had been laying his bunk for hours now.

 

“Die, Goro.” Aita responded, voice muffled by the sheets.

 

“Eji will be pissed if he finds you hanging out in the barracks in the middle of the day.” Goro said.

 

Aita turned to his side. “Eji doesn’t even know I’m here. I’m avoiding him.”

 

Goro raised an eyebrow. That’s interesting, he thought. He sat down on the bunk beside Aita’s. “...So, what happened?”

 

Aita didn’t respond.

 

“C’mon, it can’t be that bad. Did you find the hero and he ran away? That’s been happening to everyone.” Goro said.

 

“...Yeah.” Aita mumbled. “He ran away.”

 

Goro thought for a moment. “...You’ve been trying to track him down yourself, haven’t you?”

 

Aita’s sat up. Goro couldn’t see his face with his mask, but he could hear the worry in his voice. “How...how did you know…?”

 

“Lucky guess.” Goro answered. Aita seemed to relax at that, just as he intended. Letting him know about Kei and their discussion would only stress him out, which wasn’t productive right now. “So what, can’t blame you for taking the extra initiative. But you put the work into finding him, and he just disappears right? And suddenly you’ve lost his trail. I’ve heard it before.”

 

Aita nodded slowly, but still seemed distracted. “What if…” he said quietly. “...What if I’m not...able. To kill him.”

 

“Don’t put yourself down, Aita. You’re strong and skilled. So what, he’s got one divine beast? He’s still pretty weak.”

 

Aita wasn’t encouraged. Something else was on his mind. Goro thought for a moment what he could do. The advantage of playing the social game was that he knew everyone, and because of that, Goro had a large network of rumors and secrets that he could cross reference and determine which was most likely to be true.

 

“...You know, Aita. I can’t say for sure if it’s true or not, but somebody told me they spotted the hero today. He was in the Atun Valley, headed from Lurelin Village towards Faron.”

 

Aita sat up a little straighter. “...Really?” he said quietly. “...Does anyone else know?”

 

“No one but the guy who told me, and he’s not trying to follow him across Hyrule like you are.”

 

“I see.” Aita stood up. “Thanks, Goro. I owe you one.”

 

Goro smiled to himself. You sure do, Aita, he thought. “Don’t mention it, pal.” He said.

 

 

Aita grabbed a new sickle and as many arrows as he could carry. The hero wasn’t going to get away, not this time. And Aita wasn’t going to save his life again, either. He would ambush him. Not even bother with his Hylian disguise, just attack him silently and quickly.

 

The conversation with Goro had worried him. He hated that he never knew exactly just what that guy knew. So he had guessed that Aita had long abandoned his post, at least he didn’t know that he had eaten a meal with the hero, and saved his life, twice. Aita took a deep breath. That was over now. He would kill the hero. He would make up for where he had failed so miserably before. He had a second chance, and it was thanks to Goro. He was a good friend.

 

The Floria area was thankfully one of the places in Hyrule he had already been to in his training, and was able to teleport to instantly. There was no time to waste. If the hero had been spotted in the Atun Valley today, it wouldn’t be out of the question that he was still around. It was nighttime now. There was a stable nearby that he would check first, hoping that the hero was resting there for the night. He silently moved through the dense tropical foliage until he saw the tent of the stables through the trees.

 

He didn’t dare use his disguise and enter through the front; if the hero was in there and was still awake, he’d be recognized. Aita slinked through the ferns until he reached the back of the stables and a seam in the tent’s fabric. Using his blade, he carefully and silently cut away the threads of the seam until he had created a hole large enough to look in.

 

Inside were several beds, only a few of them were occupied. He couldn’t see faces, but sure enough, on one of the pillows was that characteristic blonde mop of hair. That was enough to go by for now.

 

Aita returned to the foliage and waited for sunrise. Trying to get inside the stable and kill the hero in his sleep was too risky, and at this point, Aita saw it as cowardly. So he waited, and he thought.

 

Goro didn’t seem to understand what he meant before. “What if I’m not able to kill him?” Goro told him he was strong, but Aita had faith in his abilities. But, since his mistake at the Lanayru Wetlands, he wondered… He had been honing his skills and technique his entire life, to the point where it was second nature. Instinct. Yet, his instinct had told him not to kill the hero, but to save him, twice.

 

It was a good thing Goro hadn’t understood. Aita would rather have his clan believe that he was doubting his physical skill rather than his innate conviction to kill the hero.

 

At sunrise, Aita heard some activity inside the stables from his hiding spot in the ferns. A few people came out and continued on their way down the road. No sign of the hero. Must be sleeping in, thought Aita. For Hyrule’s supposed Legendary Hero, he certainly took his time.

 

Finally, hours later, he emerged from the tent. He stretched and yawned, rubbed his shoulders. Aita was ready, he needed to wait for the hero to leave the stables and get to a more secluded part of the trail, where no one could help him. Then, he’d pounce…

 

The hero walked to a cooking pot and lit the fire with some flint. Aita groaned under his breath. Hurry up already. He couldn’t see what the hero was making, but he could smell it. It was deep and savory; he thought he saw some meat, maybe some herbs and rock salt. Aita clutched his stomach as it growled, trying to silence it. He wasn’t expecting the hero to take this long, and he hadn’t eaten yet.

 

After another few hours, the heat and humidity of the jungle was beginning to bear down. Aita could easily handle the cold of the Gerudo Highlands and the dry heat of the desert, but the Yiga uniform was not made for humidity. He wanted to take off his mask and allow himself some fresh air, or fan himself with one of the wide leaves around him, but excess movement meant he could be more easily spotted.

 

At last, around midday, the hero continued west down the road. Aita silently followed. He would stop and talk to every passing traveler he met, and Aita waited patiently. These travelers wouldn’t stand much of an obstacle in battle, but Aita didn’t want to risk them going and getting help. This had to be perfect if he was going to pull it off. He had to wait for the perfect moment.

 

Then, it arrived. Something caught Link’s eye and he wandered off the trail to an area where the ferns and foliage were a little less dense, just the trunks of the tropical trees around them. Aita smiled to himself under the mask. This was his chance. The hero was crouching now at the base of a tree, occupied with something. Aita drew an arrow back on his bow. He could end it now, if he wanted to...

 

The arrow pierced the tree trunk above Link’s head, who stumbled back in shock, dropping the mushrooms he had been picking. He turned to see Aita emerging from the ferns; he was putting away his bow now and taking out his sickle. Aita revelled in the look of surprise and fear in the hero’s eyes. Yes, this was how it was meant to be! He wouldn’t say a word, he wouldn’t remove his mask, he wouldn’t give the hero any reason to show mercy, and he would kill him as a member of the Yiga Clan! The blood red insignia on his mask would be last thing the hero would ever see. He clenched his fist around the handle of his weapon and prepared to leap forward-

 

“Aita?” Link said. “Is that you?"

 

Aita nearly fell flat on his face as his lunge was interrupted.

 

“WHAT!” Aita blurted out.

 

Link covered his mouth. “Oh! Sorry, I’m not supposed to know your name! You got mad about that last time!”

 

“Tell me you haven’t been saying that to every Yiga you meet!” Aita yelled in fury. “They’ll have me killed as a traitor to the clan!”

 

“No, don’t worry!” He put up his hands in defense. “I just actually thought it might be you this time! That’s the only time I’ve ever said it!!”

 

Aita took a deep breath. “Then...how did you know??”

 

Link pointed at the arrow in the tree. “All the other Yiga have tried to kill me right off the bat. You’re the only one who would be nice enough to alert me to your presence, first.”

 

The words pressed down on Aita like a landslide. Nice, the hero thought he was “nice”. It only made him angrier. He had already made a mistake by hesitating and it ruined his perfect opportunity.

 

“You...you’ve made a grave mistake, hero.” Aita growled. “I only did that because it would be too easy to shoot you in the back! I won’t settle for less than a fair fight!”

 

Aita attacked. Quickly, Link reached behind him and drew...a shield, not a weapon. Aita’s sickle was deflected by the hard metal surface. Aita jumped back in reflex, expecting a sword to come swinging at him, but Link didn’t attack.

 

“Aita, I don’t want to fight you, I owe you my life! How am I supposed to thank you for saving me if I’m trying to beat you?”

 

Aita was enraged. The hero was mocking him now, bringing up his greatest mistake! “Shut up!” he yelled, forming the teleportation sign with his hand and disappearing, only to reappear behind the hero a second later.

 

Link pivoted to face him and blocked another attack at the last second. Damn, Aita thought, he had gotten so much faster than before! He had clearly lost the window of time when the hero was weak and easy to kill. Link had been practicing and regaining his lost skills.

 

Once again, the hero refused to draw a sword. “Fight me, you coward!!” Aita yelled as he futilely attacked again.

 

“No!” Link said, hiding behind the shield that protected him from another angry swing. “I don’t want to hurt you, can’t we talk about this??”

 

Aita was practically burning with rage, in fact… he was feeling kind of light headed. He tried to teleport to get another vantage point on the hero, but the spell failed and zapped more of his energy. He steadied himself against a nearby tree to keep his knees from giving out.

 

It wasn’t just his anger and the fight warming him up, he had forgotten about where they were. The hot, dense humidity of the jungle made it hard for him to catch his breath, and he was sweating underneath his uniform.

 

“Hey! Are you feeling okay?!” Link said. He took a step to approach Aita, who could only raise his sickle as a warning not to approach. “...Do you want to take a break? We don’t have to do this now.”

 

“You...you don’t understand!” Aita was panting. He tore off his mask to allow cooler air to his face, and Link saw his fraught expression. “I have to kill you! And I have to do it now, before anyone else! How else am I supposed to not be a failure to my clan? I’ve already failed too much!!”

 

Link stopped and looked at the Yiga with sorrow. He looked down to the mossy ground, furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

 

“Okay, what if...what if you had an advantage against me that no one else had?” Link said, looking back up to Aita. “Then you’d be guaranteed to beat me.”

 

Aita had caught his breath, but stood up straight to listen. “...What are you talking about?”

 

“How about a truce?” Link said

 

“And, what’s a truce?” Aita asked.

 

“It’s, um...it’s a Hylian soldier battle strategy.” Link said. “Both sides agree to stop fighting...until both sides agree to break the truce and start fighting again.”

 

“I don’t understand how that’s a battle strategy.” Aita said. “Why should I agree, huh? What’s this advantage it’ll give me?”

 

“That’s easy! We can be around each other without having to worry about being attacked, so you can watch me and find my weaknesses and stuff. By the time we break the truce, you’ll know all about how I fight, way more than anyone else, so you’ll be able to beat me in a snap!”

 

Aita thought about his proposal. Perhaps it was the edge he needed... No one else in the clan had been able to study the hero’s fighting style, he had always ran away.

 

“...Alright, I will accept your truce.” Aita said. “On one condition; when we fight again, you’ll face me. No running or ducking behind a shield.”

 

Link smiled. “That’s fair. But I have a condition too; we both have to agree to break the truce before we fight. No trying to attack or ambush me when I’m not prepared, or else I’ll run, and you’ll never get the even match that you want.” He held out his hand.

 

“Deal.” Aita reached out and grabbed Link’s hand, and they shook in agreement.


	6. Haran Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita spend time together in Faron. Goro thinks that something isn't quite right.

“What are you doing? You look stupid.” Aita said. Link was standing awkwardly on his shield, trying his best to figure out how to gain momentum without falling off. The two of them were at a crest of one of the Farosh Hills.

It had been a couple days since the beginning of their truce. Despite his promise, Link hadn’t shown any of his battle secrets thus far. For the most part he avoided fighting monsters, and instead dragged Aita around to show him his favorite plants to forage and scenic views. The hills they were at now had a grand view of Lake Hylia and its bridge. Aita was in his disguise through most of the past few days; he couldn’t risk being spotted by a Hylian or another Yiga while in his uniform. At least this spot was in the middle of nowhere, and he allowed himself to drop the act as he sat underneath a tree, watching the hero try to balance on a shield.

“Shield surfing! I haven’t quite figured it out yet.” Link responded. He would stand on the shield, inch it forward a bit, but was unsure where to go from there.

“But...why?” Aita said. “Is that really an effective form of transportation?”

“I guess so? Maybe for getting down hills, at least. I think it’s mostly just fun.” Link readjusted the shield closer to the slope. 

When he got on it this time, his weight caused the shield to slide down the grass. Aita got up to watch as Link gained more speed sliding down the hill, hollering with glee, until he hit a rock about halfway down. The wooden shield splintered apart and Link was sent careening down the rest of the hill, rolling and tumbling until he came to a stop at the base. 

Aita burst out laughing. “You’re right!! That was fun!!” He jogged down the slope. “You should have seen yourself, what an idiot!”

Link pushed himself up. He was clutching his side and grimacing in pain. His cheek was skinned and and a small bead of blood was collecting there. He looked up to Aita, and with a broken voice said “Why are you laughing? That really hurt.”

“Ha, haha…” Aita stopped. That wasn’t the response he was used to. He had always laughed at others for getting hurt, everyone did. One time during training, the wire of Goro’s bow snapped and cut the palm of his hand. It was hilarious, he still has the faint scar. Of course Goro was embarrassed; as everyone laughed he just got angry. “Shut up! It’s not my fault you jerks left me with the broken bow!!” It wasn’t often that Goro would get mad, and that made it funnier. But Link...his response just made Aita feel kinda bad, and he didn’t know why.

“Well, what did you expect, huh?” he said, defensively. “Doing a dumb stunt like that, of course you’re gonna get hurt. If you’re looking for a faster way to travel, there are better ways.”

Link sighed and gingerly touched his cheek, and wiped away a bit of blood there. “I guess you’re right...you mean like a horse right?”

“...What? No, of course I don’t mean-”

“No, that’s a good idea!” Link said, standing to his feet. “Let’s find a horse!”

“Wh- FIND a horse?? Just a wild one?!”

“Yeah, how else do you get a horse? I can’t afford to buy one, if anyone could even bear to sell theirs.”

“Is that safe?”

“Sure! They’re just horses!” Link headed off, seemingly already recovered from his fall. Aita hesitated, but soon donned his disguise and followed.

 

They traveled through the Faron Woods until they reached a trail branching south towards the Fural Plain. To the east of the plain was the Highland Stable, and to the west, a shallow lake. Grazing on the grasses and drinking the water here was a small herd of about 4 or 5 wild horses. Link had crouched in the tall grass and made Aita do the same.

“Wow…they’re so pretty, aren’t they?” Link said with admiration in his voice. He pointed out to a dark brown stallion with a black mane. “Look at him, he’s amazing. I think I’ll try for him; which one do you want?”

Aita was glancing around, being sure to keep track of all the horses at once. “Uh, I don’t think so.”

Link looked at him, almost offended. “What?! Aita, you don’t like horses?”

“No. They stink, they’re too big and noisy...they’re wild animals, why are we even here!”

“I bet you just haven’t gotten to know one, yet.” Link said.

Aita huffed indignantly. “Have you?”

“...Well...no, not as far as I remember.”

“You mean you’ve never done this before?” 

“I don’t know, probably!” Link replied. “I forgot!”

Aita stared in disbelief as the hero stood up and began sneaking through the grass towards the herd. When he got close, the horses caught wind of his scent and ran away to the far side of the lake. Link patiently stood up, walked a little closer, and crouched. Over and over again he would sneak up, accidentally spook the herd, and try to approach again. 

Aita sighed in frustration. How could the hero be so different than everything he had been told? The hero that Aita had trained his whole life to battle was deadly, merciless, sharp and cunning. He was a human weapon for the royal family. He wasn’t supposed to crawl through the grass after a horse, he wasn’t supposed to slide down a hill and break his shield and hurt himself, he wasn’t supposed to forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms or take pictures of scenic views with the Sheikah Slate. He wasn’t a weapon. He was just...some guy.

Aita frowned to himself. Something about that didn’t sit right with him. The more he thought about it the more frustrated he became. 

“Ugh.” He mumbled, standing up and dusting off his clothes. “This is a waste of time.” Aita began to walk towards the stable on the other side of the field. Link would be there eventually to register whatever dumb horse he managed to catch, so maybe he could find something to eat, or at least a more comfortable place to wait.

As he crossed the field he heard the sound of beating hooves approaching him. Maybe Link had finally caught a horse? He turned to the sound and saw a gang of bokoblins mounted on horses racing towards him, spears and clubs drawn. 

Aita cursed, and went to draw his bow, but something at the stables in the distance caught his eye. Hylians were gathering at the fence to watch the impending battle, looking on in shock and worry. But, his duplex bow...as it was, it was a part of his disguise, inconspicuous. Aita knew that the moment he used it the illusion would be dropped and it would be revealed as a Yiga weapon. It was just too difficult to use magic to disguise yourself and an object you were using. Would they even notice? What if someone there was actually a fellow member; they may not recognize him, but they would certainly recognize the bow.

He hesitated just long enough to be blindsided and with a blow from a club that knocked him off his feet; an attack that was met with gasps and shouts of distress from the stables. The bokoblins circled him as he scrambled to get up; he was more worried about being trampled under some massive hoof than being stabbed or beaten. It seemed he had no other options, he reached for his bow.

An arrow flew from somewhere off in the field and knocked a bokoblin off its mount. The horse it was riding reared up in surprise and ran off; the commotion was enough to break formation of the other riders. It seemed the monsters had poor control of their animals. Link was riding over, clutching the mane of the dark horse with one hand and his bow in the other. 

“Aita!” he called out, letting go of the mane long enough to draw a traveler’s sword from his back. “Don’t attack them yourself, you might hit the horses!”

He tossed down the sword to as he rode past, and Aita went to pick it up. “You’re worried about hurting their horses??” he yelled. 

“I’ll knock them down, and you finish them!” Link called back. He leveled another arrow at a bokoblin, but his new horse began to shake its head defiantly and veer off course. “Hey, hey!! Settle down, ok buddy?”

The first bokoblin was off trying to chase after its ride; Aita finished it off easily. One by one, Link picked them off with his bow, and they fell off their mounts to the ground where Aita was waiting with the sword. With the final blow, they heard the cheers and whistles of the stable audience. Link approached, still struggling a little to control the stubborn horse.

“Well, what do you think? We couldn’t have done it without this guy!” Link said, patting his steed on the neck.

“Couldn’t you have found one a little smarter?” Aita said “It would have been much easier if he would actually listen to what you told him to do.”

“Aw, he’s just got a strong personality!” Link replied. “He’ll get better with time, I just have to earn his trust is all. A horse’s best friend should be his rider.”

Aita smirked. “And what about these guys, huh? Didn’t we just kill all these horses’ best friends?”

The hero’s face suddenly went serious. “These monsters used their horses to attack and terrorize innocent people. You can tell that they weren’t happy." He said. "To use a horse for evil...that is unforgivable. And look, they’re already rejoining their herd, they were still wild.” It was true, the monster’s former steeds were galloping away towards the other side of the field where the rest waited and watched.

“So, what are you going to name it?” Aita asked.

Link thought for a moment and looked around, then opened up his Sheikah Slate. “That lake over there where we found him, it’s called Haran Lake right? Why don’t I call him Haran? That way, he’ll never forget where he came from.” He said with a smile.

That night, Aita teleported back to base while Link slept. A few days was a reasonable time to be away, and he didn’t want to arise any suspicions for being gone too long. 

 

It had been a few days since Aita left, and Goro was suspicious. He had practically handed Aita everything he could have needed to kill the hero. A pinpointed location, an encouraging pep talk, exclusive information for him to use without any competition. He should have left to ambush the hero and returned in an hour with his head. If this dragged on much longer, Goro would have to return to Hebra and freeze his ass off again. That just wouldn’t do.

Finally, late in the night, Goro spotted Aita wandering the halls of the hideout. He was headed from the storage room on his way out, and Goro cut him off.

“Hey, Aita!” he said, excited. “What did you bring back? You got proof right? His head, his hand? A finger, at least?”

Aita jumped back, startled. He seemed on edge. “...N-no.” he responded flatly. “I didn’t kill him.”

Goro cocked his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, I mean, I didn’t see him. I didn’t kill him because he wasn’t there, I looked for him all this time. I guess your information was wrong.”

“...Oh...hm...well, I’m sorry to hear that…” Goro said. “What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going back out, of course.” Aita said. “I just have to keep looking for him, y’know.”

“Right...okay. Sorry about the false lead, then.” 

“Don’t worry about it Goro. You should probably get out, too. Soon enough a blademaster is gonna realize that you’ve been hanging around here for over a week.” Aita stepped around Goro and continued to the exit.

“Yeah...I’ll see you later, Aita.”

As soon as he was gone, Goro stormed to the barracks. He silently made his way around the bodies of his sleeping peers to reach a specific bed, and lightly touched on the arm of the girl there. She woke up and rubbed her eyes, and Goro leaned down to whisper softly in her ear. 

“Ruka, it’s me. C’mere, I want to talk to you.”

Ruka blushed in the dark, and quietly followed him out into the privacy of the hall. “W-what is it Goro?” she said, combing her ponytail through her fingers “It’s awfully late for a talk, isn’t it?”

But Goro was no longer soft whispers and flirty touches. He turned to Ruka sharply and spoke in a stern voice. “You told me that the hero had been seen in Atun Valley, near Faron. Did you lie to me?”

“W-what!” Ruka said. “Goro, no I swear! Toki saw him himself, and I grew up with him, he couldn’t have been wrong!”

“And what about the time Ulo said she saw him in Tabantha, huh? You said you trusted her more than anyone, and she was wrong!”

“Ah, that was an innocent mistake! Ulo is bad at remembering faces, she mistook someone else for him!”

Goro crossed his arms. “I’m running out of patience, Ruka. My survival here depends on having accurate information and a trustworthy network. How can I trust you to gather information for me if you keep bringing me dead ends? Do you really want that date? Because now, I’m not sure if you deserve it.”

“Goro, no!” Ruka whined. “Hell, you can torture Toki if you want, I know he told the truth, I promise!”

He stopped and thought a moment. There were rumors that the hero could teleport with the Sheikah Slate. It could only have been a few hours from the point where the hero was supposedly seen near the Floria Woods to the moment that Goro told Aita about him. Teleportation could be done in an instant of course, but for what purpose? He needed some evidence that the hero didn’t just instantly travel to somewhere else in Hyrule...as if on queue, Ruka spoke up again.

“Oh, I know! The tower, Faron Tower!! It changed color, just yesterday! The shrines and towers change from orange to blue when the hero visits them, right?”

She was right! The hero had to have been at Faron Tower yesterday! And yet, Aita was in the area, and he didn’t find him? He didn’t notice the tower change color, or think to wait somewhere he knew the hero would eventually come to?

Something else annoyed him, too. “Don’t worry about it, Goro” Aita had said. “I guess your information was wrong.” he said. How unlike him...he was so distraught before he left, so sure he had lost his chance. The Aita he knew would have responded “You were wrong, Goro!! He wasn’t even there! Just what I get for listening to a good for nothing slacker like you, thanks for wasting my time.”

“Um, Goro?” Ruka said. “Please say something, you’ve been standing there silently for a while…”

“Ruka.” Goro said. “You know Aita, right?”

“Yeah of course! I thought it was weird, he told me his station was up on Marblod Plain, but I actually checked, and there’s no one stationed there at all...um, sorry. I know he was in your training group, I don’t mean to sound nosy about your friends.”

“No, actually I’m kind of wishing you would be...would you mind keeping an eye on Aita for me, Ruka?” Goro said in his smoothest voice. “But, just you though. Keep it our secret, only tell me what you see, is that okay?”

“O-oh...yeah sure, haha! But, what about my post?”

“Don’t worry about that, no one’s really sticking to their post at this point, anyways. And there’s something good in it for you.”

“Really?”

Goro put a finger to his mask, over his mouth. “Do this for me, just as I say, and I’ll kiss you, Ruka.”

Ruka put her hands over her cheeks to hide her blushing, all though her mask had already done it. “Y-yeah...okay, Goro.” she said, quietly. “If it’s not too much to ask, do you think...do you think you could hold me in your arms? As like...a first installment?”

Goro rolled his eyes under the mask, but stepped forward and hugged her. She sighed happily in his arms, but he was thinking of Aita.


	7. Puffer Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita take a trip to the beach. Kei is on the hunt.

Chumin was a merchant. Some days he would catch fish and crabs along the shore of his home, Lurelin Village, and the next he would travel with his donkey near the southern shore of Hyrule, selling his catches to travelers. It wasn’t extremely lucrative, but it was enough to get by and the travelers he met seemed to enjoy the fresh seafood he provided. 

It was early morning now, the sun had just risen and it was still dim beneath the trees. Chumin had spent the night at the Highland Stables and was now heading east back through the Faron Woods; he managed to sell all of his stock and was eager to get home to share the rupees with his family. It was a long trek back, but it was one he had walked dozens of times.

That’s when he heard a woman’s voice, calling from off the trail. “Hello? Is anybody there, can you hear me?”

Chumin stopped and looked around. “Yes, hello? Where are you?”

“Oh, thank gods.” the voice called again. “Can you please help me? I dropped something over here, but I didn’t realize the ground would be so muddy! I uh, I kinda got stuck…”

He could tell where the voice was coming from now. Off the left side of the trail were some collapsed ruins. She must have climbed over one of these low stone walls and sunk into the mud and water around them. He wondered how long she must have been waiting there; likely overnight since it was so early.

“Oh no! Don’t worry, I’ll help you out okay?” Chumin said and walked over towards the wall.

As Chumin walked up to a gap between two of the barriers, expecting to turn the corner and see her waist deep in the mud, his foot caught on something. A wire was spanning the gap just underneath the water’s surface. He tripped and fell and suddenly a hand was clasped over his mouth, and a knife pressed to his throat. He could barely see through the dim light and the water in his eyes, but he was able to make out a white porcelain mask and a red Yiga symbol.

“Don’t make a sound.” the woman’s voice said. “I want you to tell me something. Have you seen a blonde guy with a ponytail around here recently? He would have a strange device on him, like a stone slab with a design like this on it, but upside down and blue.” She pointed to her mask. 

Chumin shook his head in panic. 

“Are you sure? Think hard.” she said, and pushed the blade against his skin.

“W-wait!! I, um!” Chumin wracked his mind for any lightest memory of someone like that. “...O-oh! I remember someone like that at the Highland Stable! It was just yesterday, he was heading out as I arrived, I think he was going west?”

“Is that really all you can tell me?” She said in a low, quiet voice that made Chumin tremble with fear. She was small, but he had no doubt that she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. 

“A-ah! Please, uh, he had some other guy traveling with him! A skinny guy with black hair...a-and they had a horse! It was black, or maybe brown? I-I’m sorry, I didn’t pay much attention, please don’t kill me…”

He couldn’t tell if she was staring at him with malice or mercy, the smooth mask showed no evidence of emotion or humanity. Finally she stood up, bringing the blade away from his throat.

“Get up.” she ordered. “Get back on the trail and continue east. Don’t stop, do not tell anyone about me, or the man you saw at the stables. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, thank you.” Chumin cautiously stood up and walked back to his donkey. Clutching her reigns until he had white knuckles, he continued home.

 

Kei sized up the weight of the bag of rupees she’d taken off the man. He was so scared he didn’t even notice her pickpocketing him. Not a bad haul, and not a bad bit of information, either. So the hero was traveling with someone. She wished she had a better description of him, but she would take what she could get. She was closing in.

 

Link and Aita continued west for a while. Link had been riding Haran nonstop, and while the horse still had plenty moments of defiance, the two seemed to be warming up to each other. Aita however, insisted on walking alongside instead of riding, keeping their pace slow.

They continued on until they reached a river, and Link looked downstream.

“Ooh! Aita look, its the ocean!”

Aita turned. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but saw a huge expanse of sparkling blue water. It seemed to go on forever. 

“...Oh.” Aita remarked, trying to sound disinterested. “I’ve never seen it before.”

“Well, what are we waiting for, then?” Link said, and pulled Haran’s reigns towards the beach. 

They continued down the beach until they came to a large tide pool near an overhanging cliff. Link excitedly dismounted Haran and began taking off his Hylian armor.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Aita said. 

“I’m going swimming!” Link replied, excitedly, tossing his tunic aside. “I bet I can find a snail, or maybe even a crab-” he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

“...Link? Hey?” Aita looked to where the hero was staring. At the side of the tide pool was the dilapidated shell of a guardian, worn down by a century of tides and ocean winds. Barnacles and coral were growing on the lower half of the carapace where it was submerged into the pool. “...Link, it’s not alive, you know.”

Link seemed to snap back into his senses. “Right, yeah. Sorry.”

Aita sat down on a rock at the edge of the pool and looked at some anemones under the surface. He reached down to touch them and watched as they puckered up and closed in response.

“Why don’t you come in?” Link called out. “It’s nice!”

“No, I don’t swim.” Aita said. He watched Link in the pool, floating around, treading water, occasionally ducking under and coming back up. The sky was overcast, and a warm humid wind blew in from the sea.

“...Hey, I’ve been wondering something.” Aita said. “Aren’t you supposed to be conquering the Divine Beasts or whatever? I assumed you were headed west to get to Gerudo Desert, but you keep making these pointless side trips. Foraging even though we have plenty of food, sightseeing, shield surfing, catching a horse, and now this? Not that it matters to me, the longer you take, the easier it makes it for us.”

Link sank down slightly in the water, then dove under. When he came back up, he was holding a shell. “Look, a snail!” he exclaimed. “Why don't we eat it?!”

“That sounds disgusting, and you’re changing the subject.” Aita said. “All the blademasters warned us that you would stop at nothing to finish your quest, but you don’t even seem to want to do it.”

“That’s not true!” Link protested. “Of course I want to do it. I got Vah Ruta, didn’t I?” 

“Yeah, right away.” Aita said. “And then you stopped, and started doing this. So, what gives?”

Link scowled at him from the pool. “...Just because I’m not rushing towards all the Divine Beasts doesn’t mean I’m not going to do it.”

“Shouldn’t you be rushing!?” Aita responded, he was getting annoyed. “We’ve all been trying to kill you as soon as possible, but you’re not even taking it seriously! The only reason you’ve been able to evade us this far is because you keep running, just like you’re running from the Divine Beasts. If you were in the Yiga Clan, nobody would tolerate that, you wouldn’t survive a day!”

“Well, I’m glad I’m not in your weird, creepy cult, then!” Link snapped back at him.

Suddenly, the skies opened up and it it began to downpour. Aita covered his head with his arms and walked back towards the cliff where a natural overhang of stone would protect them from the rain. Link pulled himself out of the pool, collected his already soaked clothes, and followed. The both of them started running when a loud clap of thunder echoed overhead. 

They waited under the cliff as the storm rolled through. Link had thrown his tunic, pants and bag over Haran’s back to let them dry, and had the horse blanket draped over his shoulders instead.

“...I’m sorry what I said, about your clan. That wasn’t nice.” Link eventually spoke.

“Whatever.” Aita mumbled. “It’s none of my business what you do, anyway.”

They sat silently, listening to the rain and thunder for a moment. “Aita, do you have any friends in the Yiga Clan?”

Aita thought about it. There was Kei and Goro of course, even Eji, but “friend” wasn’t really a familiar term for him. Allies, maybe? Was that the same thing? “...Yeah, I guess so.” he replied.

“Are they nice? I mean, of course they wouldn’t like me, but they must like you, right?”

He had to think about it again. Certainly, they didn’t hate him. Kei never made any effort to be nice, but she seemed to tolerate Aita more than others. And Goro would even help him out occasionally. That had to mean something, right? “I think so.” he said.

“That’s good…” Link stared out on to the ocean. “What if...if all your friends were really counting on you to do something, and you couldn’t do it. And you let them down and hurt them.” He looked down at the ground and started absentmindedly playing with a pebble at his feet. “And then you realized that making things right meant you had to face them again, but you don’t know if they’re mad at you, or...or maybe if they ever liked you to begin with…” his voice trailed off for a few seconds. “...And you start to think that maybe it’s just easier to keep forgetting.”

“Hm...I don’t know.” Aita responded. “I guess my friends have never really counted on me to do something. I don’t think anyone has that much faith in me.” He copied Link and began to play in the sand with his fingers. “When I was growing up, they said that if you don’t succeed, it won’t even matter, because someone will always be there to overtake you. You either win or you lose; winners get power and glory, losers get forgotten.”

“What about you?” Link asked. “Do you think you’re a winner, or...a loser?”

“I don’t know, I guess I haven’t done anything yet. I only just barely became a footsoldier. My success depends on what I do now.” he said. “Killing you would be a guaranteed win, for sure.”

Link chuckled. “That would make me the loser, then.”

If Aita had not been intimately familiar with the sound, he would have missed it. A quiet and sudden noise, like a very short fuse burning on a bomb. He only had a second to react, a second to reach over and grab the horse blanket from around Link’s shoulders and toss it over his head, before a fellow Yiga footsoldier teleported behind them in a cloud of smoke. 

They attacked immediately and went straight for Link, but his reflexes were great enough that he ducked out of a deadly first swipe to his neck, and was left with a gash over his shoulder blade. Haran, startled by their sudden appearance, took off running down the beach, scattering Link’s armor and the contents of the bag that was resting on his back.

Aita ran and hid behind a stone column, using the blanket to obscure his face from the footsoldier. Even in disguise he might be recognizable, especially if it was someone he knew. 

 

Kei had found them. Using her instincts, tracking skills, and a few more tips she’d squeezed out of other Hylians, she cornered the hero and his companion to Puffer Beach and had been waiting on the cliff above to ambush. Due to the angle and height of her ambush point, and the sudden onset of rain, she couldn’t see their faces or hear their conversation, but she was sure the blonde Hylian was the hero, and his friend and horse fit the descriptions she heard. 

As she attacked, the hero’s companion ran and hid. Coward, perhaps he didn’t know how to fight. It hardly mattered. The only one she needed to kill was the hero. He leapt away, rolled onto his feet, and ran, too. Typical, she had heard other footsoldiers dealing with this, but they had all let him get away. She would chase him to the end of Hyrule if she had to. 

 

This was very bad. Aita had no way of telling who the footsoldier was, not without talking to them and revealing himself. Link was running around in nothing but his underwear while his weapons and shields were currently being thrown about by that idiot horse. If Aita so much as said a word, there was a chance the footsoldier would recognize his voice. 

He tried to think of a plan, tried to think of some way to help. He couldn’t let this footsoldier kill Link. All this time spent with him, this truce to learn his secrets, it would be for nothing! His train of thought was interrupted by a loud and deep crash of thunder, and he jumped as a bolt of lightning struck down into the sea. The storm was really kicking up now. As long as they stayed near the cliffs under the overhang they would be protected from any lightning. But if he were to stray out, the sickle on his back, still disguised a traveler’s sword, would begin to attract a charge. He cautiously peeked out from behind the stone column. 

Link was desperately trying to evade the footsoldier, but at least he seemed to have the sense not to venture out from under the overhang. He may have just been avoiding the sharp rocks of the tidal pools closer to the water, preferring to keep to the sand with his bare feet. He was looking for something among his scattered belongings while the footsoldier attacked wildly. They were completely silent and focused, unlike Aita with his childish taunts during his first battle with Link. They really knew what they were doing. 

That’s when he saw it, what Link surely must be searching for: the Sheikah Slate. He must have left it attached to his armor, the fool. And now he was looking for it so he could teleport away. 

When he was certain that the footsoldier was looking away, Aita rushed out, grabbed the slate and bolted back behind cover. He opened the interface and quickly found the front facing camera; he’d seen Link do this to take pictures of himself in front of scenic vistas, but always thought there had to be another practical use. 

Aita held out the slate from behind the column and angled it like a mirror so he could see the fight around the corner. Then, he whistled as loud as he could. Link turned and looked, and so did the footsoldier. When he was sure that he had their attention, Aita threw the Sheikah Slate as far as he could towards the ocean. 

“WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!” he heard Link scream, followed by running footsteps through the shallow tide pools, and then, a crackling explosion of lightning. 

 

Kei wouldn’t allow the hero to pick up the Sheikah Slate, she wouldn’t allow him to escape! She darted out into the rain after him, but felt a static, prickling feeling in her hand, emanating from her sickle. She only just had time to drop it before a burning bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky and struck the sickle at her feet. It was over in just a second, and she collapsed on the tidal rocks.

With her last bit of strength, she lifted her hands to form the teleportation signal, and disappeared.

 

Aita peeked out and saw Link standing alone on the beach, holding the Sheikah Slate, mouth agape in shock. The footsoldier was gone. Aita threw off his own sickle and bow before stepping out into the rain towards him.

“I...I...uh...w-was that you?” Link’s voice was shaking. 

Aita pushed him. “What the hell was that!? You were going to run away again!” he yelled over the rain. Aita grabbed the Sheikah Slate from Link’s hands. “Is that all this is for you, a tool for you to escape?! If you had gotten away, they would have come for ME as bait, found out who I am, and killed me for being a traitor!! You’re supposed to be a hero, aren’t you?!”

He stopped yelling when he noticed the water running down Link’s was not the rain, but tears. 

“I don’t know.” Link said. “I think I was before...but I failed! And all my friends, they died! They either died or they sacrificed their freedom because I messed up. And now I don’t even remember them, I can’t even remember myself, who I used to be! Everyone’s telling me that I’m strong and I’m brave, but I don’t feel that way!! I’m scared I’ll just fail everyone again. I’m scared of even remembering the way things were. I don’t want to know how much I let everyone down.”

Aita looked at him, standing there in the rain. This was the first time he’d seen Link so bare, up close. His chest was littered with numerous scars; burns, cuts, craters, punctures. Despite how he acted, this man had seen more battles than Aita would likely ever know. Each of those scars was a fight that he had survived. 

“C’mon. Let’s pick up your stuff.” Aita said, and walked back towards the cliff.

They walked along the beach, picking up Link’s scattered belongings as they went. They eventually found Haran and led him back, and Link found a Fairy Tonic in the bottom of his bag and was able to close the wound left by the footsoldier.

“So,” Aita said, picking up some of Link's flint and chunks of rock salt. “Tell me about your friends. You must be able to remember something, right?”

“Yeah...I remember Mipha.” Link responded. “She knew me ever since I was a kid, so I practically grew up with her. We were really close. She was kind and sweet; a little shy but in an endearing way, y’know? And she always knew what to say to make people feel better. She was a great healer, but really powerful with a spear, too. And she liked me a lot. I felt kinda bad, I didn’t even know she even liked me that much...” he paused for a moment. “I remember Zelda, a little bit. Just little bits and pieces...everyone else though, I have no idea who they even are.”

Aita furrowed his brow in confusion. “I don’t get it. You made it sound like remembering them was a bad thing. I thought you’d start describing someone terrible that you didn’t like.”

“Why would they be my friends if I didn’t like them?”

Aita realized he didn’t have an answer for that.

“But, yeah. I guess you’re right. It was really nice to remember her again. Even if it was sad, too.” Link continued. He hesitated for a few seconds, looking out towards the sea. The storm had passed now and it was just lightly raining. “...I think I’ll go to Gerudo Desert.”


	8. Gerudo Canyon Pass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei comes home and receives a surprise visit. Ruka begins her hunt. Link and Aita travel towards Gerudo Desert.

“M-master Eji!” Goro burst into the blademaster quarters where his superior was eating.

“Goro.” Eji responded in his ever deep and serious tone. “What do you think you’re doing in here.”

“I’m so sorry master, but, it’s Kei.” Goro said. “She’s been seriously injured!”

Eji followed Goro out into a main area of the hideout where Kei was laying on a mat on the floor. A group of stray footsoldiers and trainees were gathered about her. Even a few other blademasters turned with curiosity as they passed. The fabric of her uniform on her right leg had been singed and torn away, revealing a serious burn in the shape of a large, branching vein, spreading from her ankle to her thigh. She looked parched and weak. Someone had taken off her mask to allow her to breath easier. 

Eji stopped and looked over her body. “How did this happen, Kei?” he asked sternly, without a hint of worry or compassion in his voice.

Kei winced in pain before speaking in a dry, strained voice. “Nng...the hero. I fought him. I had almost killed him but...lightning struck my sickle. Had I not dropped it in time, I would have been killed.” There were quiet gasps and murmurs in the crowd. “My teleportation was off, and I landed in the East Gerudo Ruins. I hid in the shadows of the statues to stay cool until a scout found me... ”

Goro watched Eji closely and nervously as he listened to her story, intent on trying to see any kind of reaction. Would he punish her for this? Surely it wasn’t her fault, but he could imagine him scolding her about venturing into a thunderstorm with a metal weapon. Then again, if she was as close to killing him as she said she was (and Goro didn’t doubt it), could Eji really blame her? More importantly, if he did punish her, would Kei be expecting Goro to vouch for her in the same way that he did for Aita in his alleged Lynel encounter? 

As far as he was concerned, Kei was out of the game. That burn would take far too long to heal for her to be an asset, and Aita was...questionable. He was hiding something, that much Goro knew for sure. His options were dwindling. 

Before Eji could finish deliberating on Kei’s fate, the group heard a voice behind them. 

“Hey, hey! What’s going on over here? What’s with the crowd?”

As if by reflex, everyone turned towards the voice and bowed deeply.

“Master Kohga, sir.” Eji said. “I apologize. My subordinate has returned from Hyrule injured. She was just telling me how it happened, and her story has...attracted evesdroppers, it would seem.”

“Oh yeah?” Master Kohga responded, and sauntered his way up to see Kei. “Yeesh, that’s a nasty one. What happened?”

“She tells me it was a lightning bolt, sir.” 

“Woah, lightning? Really?? Wow. Hm.” he thought for a moment. “Clearly this...is a sign! A wonderful sign!”

Kei squinted at him in confusion.

“...Sir? A sign?” Eji said, confused as well.

“Of course! Don’t you see? This means that the Yiga Clan can’t be stopped, not even by nature itself!” Kohga exclaimed. “Lightning, the power of the very gods touched down and struck this soldier, and yet here she is! Alive and still brimming with energy and enthusiasm!” Kei felt like she was going to pass out. The crowd around her was now making sounds of agreement and excitement. 

“He’s right, we’re unstoppable!”

“She must have survived because Ganon wanted her to!”

“We’re going to win soon, I can feel it!”

“Haha, yes yes, excellent.” Master Kohga laughed as he walked away. “Do not lose faith, my dear followers, soon the hero will be finished, and we shall win this war!”

The group of footsoldiers and trainees cheered. 

“...Goro, take her to a medic.” Eji ordered as he turned to leave as well. 

“Uh, yes sir.” Goro said and went to pick up Kei.

“Don’t.” She warned. “Just help me walk…”

Yiga medics were typically older footsoldiers that never became skilled enough in battle to become blademasters and eventually grew too old to be effective soldiers. No one ever planned to be a medic, it was always just something that happened to the weak willed and lazy. Skip out on your daily training? Someday you’ll find yourself old and decrepit, being ordered to studying elixirs and first aid and hunched over some young footsoldier’s stab wound. Taking care of others and picking up after someone else’s mistakes wasn’t exactly considered an honorable task.

Goro helped Kei lay down as the medic prepared a burn salve for her leg.

“Goro, I need you to tell something to Master Eji. He left too soon for me to tell him myself.”

Goro perked up to listen “Yeah? What is it?”

“The hero is traveling with someone; a thin Hylian with black hair...he ran away when I appeared, so I assumed he wouldn’t be an issue, but I underestimated him. He was the one that tricked me into running out into the storm…” Kei let out a deep sigh, she was exhausted. “...The hero is still weak. He’s stupid and cowardly to boot, but his partner...if nothing else, he’s clever.”

“...Alright, good to know. I’ll tell him.” Goro said.

 

Had Ruka known that Goro was spending time with another girl, she might have been upset. She hadn't stopped thinking about him, or that kiss in her future.

Romance for the Yiga Clan was an odd thing. Typically members didn't care about love or dating. Couples would be matched up by their superiors, ordered to produce a child, and then would likely never interact again. The child would then be handed off to the blademasters to raise, and more importantly, to train.

When Ruka was just 11, she traveled out into Hyrule for a training exercise. In the distance she saw a Hylian couple. They flirted and kissed, held hands and giggled together. They seemed so happy. Ruka became enraptured. Since then, she wanted a boyfriend. It didn’t matter the boy, really. She wanted that love, that connection. 

Most of the boys she knew growing up turned down her affections, and she was left with many a broken heart...until Goro. Goro was so kind and sweet, and such a gentleman. Sure, he never wanted to be seen with her and asked her to never speak of their meetings to anyone else... but occasionally, he would let her hold his hand for a few seconds. What more could a girl ask for? She was so lucky to have him.

And now, she had been given a special mission by him! To spy on Aita...but first, she had to find him. From what Goro had told her, he definitely went to Faron after the hero had been spotted there. But, that had been a while ago now. He wouldn’t still be there, but it was her only lead. 

“A skinny kid with black hair, huh?” A male traveler responded when she asked. “I don’t know, have you seen anyone like that Sorelia?”

“Maybe? I suppose that description would fit a lot of people, even you Tye.” the woman traveler with a laugh. 

“Oh, he’d be about this tall,” Ruka explained, recalling Aita’s Hylian disguise. “A big backpack, blue scarf, carrying a traveler’s sword? Straight hair, kind of down to his shoulders...probably a grumpy look on his face?”

“Hmm…” Tye thought for a moment. “Was he traveling with someone?”

“Oh, uh...that doesn’t really sound like him, but I suppose it wouldn’t be out of the question?” Ruka replied. Could Aita have teamed up with another Yiga to have a better chance at killing the hero? He wasn’t the type to want to share the glory, though.

“That’s right, there was that couple from a few days ago!” Sorelia said. “That sour looking guy and that blonde boy, they were headed to the Highland Stables. The blonde one was excitedly talking about horses, it was pretty cute.”

Tye gasped. “Sorelia…”

“Aww, don’t worry sweetheart, you’re much cuter than him.”

Ruka bit her lip. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, are you two uh...in a relationship?”

“Haha, yes, we’re married! There’s a legend that says if you swear on your love before a rare Silent Princess flower, you and your beloved will live a happy life together.” He smiled at Sorelia. “That’s why we’re on this journey together, to find that flower.”

“Ah! Wow that’s...that’s so beautiful!!” Ruka cried. 

“Do you have someone that you love? Is it that boy you’re looking for?” Sorelia asked.

Ruka blushed. “Oh!! No no, not at all...my heart belongs to someone, but he’s home right now. It would have been so nice to travel with him, like you two are…”

“Don’t worry, distance makes the heart grow fonder, after all.” Tye reassured her. “I hope you can find who you’re looking for soon, and return home to him as soon as possible!”

“Thank you so much!” Ruka said. She had planned to rob them as soon as she got her information, but how could she? She couldn’t fathom ruining such a beautiful love story like that.

Ruka continued on to the Highland Stables and spoke with the man behind the counter. He said that someone fitting the description stayed there overnight a few nights ago with a blonde man, and they continued west. The Yiga didn’t typically choose blonde hair for their disguises, but it wasn't unheard of. They were born with a range of hair colors, but all dyed it black at an early age. It symbolized their direct opposition to the Sheikah, whom often had striking white hair, even as children. Many Yiga were born with white hair too, since the Yiga Clan had come from the Sheikah Tribe long ago. However, their dying regiment was so strict, Ruka didn’t have the slightest idea what the true hair color of her peers might be. She barely even remembered her own hair color. Maybe it was brown? Red?

Directly west of the stable and across the Menoat River was a mounted archery camp. She described Aita and the mystery boy to the old man who was there. “Two boys, one with black hair and a blonde you say?” He said. “Yes, they came by. They had a beautiful horse as well; dark brown with a glossy black mane. The blonde one did a few drills, too. He had potential but would tend to get distracted.”

“And what about the other boy?” Ruka asked.

“He wasn’t interested; just sat in the grass as his friend was riding. Wasn’t very chatty either, seemed to have something on his mind. After they were done they walked up over the Darybon Plains and disappeared over that hill.”

The more she heard of this pair, the less it sounded like two Yiga Clan members. A footsoldier catching a horse? Unheard of; what was the point of a horse when you had teleportation magic? And Aita wasn’t the type to go along with such silliness like drills at a mounted archery camp. This was the only lead she had though, and she thought she should at least see it to the end before starting over again elsewhere.

The plains funneled into a canyon with steep walls on either side. It was completely deserted here, nothing but horses, baobab trees, and a couple lynels. She was careful to avoid them. When she reached the end of the canyon with no Aita in sight, she was ready to give up. Then, she noticed a horse standing out from the rest of the herd. A dark brown one, wearing a saddle and reigns.

This canyon was a dead end for horses, nowhere to go but to turn around the way you came. Could they have come this far and decided to climb out on their own? The horse was standing about the west side of the grasslands, near a relatively low wall that Ruka knew connected to the Gerudo Canyon Pass. It required some rock climbing skill to maneuver, but that was nothing compared to the Yiga’s training. 

She crossed over and found herself standing above Gerudo Canyon. Lining the canyon was a vast network of wooden bridges and walkways. They may have been originally built for some other purpose, now they were either abandoned or used by monsters. They were convenient and she decided to travel them whenever possible.

It was early morning now; she had traveled through the night. As she passed between the Kuokot Plateau and Mount Nabooru, she heard voices. Just off the path below were two individuals sat by a lit cooking pot. The smell was absolutely mesmerizing. Due to the narrow canyon, sounds echoed and were magnified easily, so despite her altitude above the trail she could hear every word of their conversation.

“All I’m saying is we need to be more careful.” One of them said. It was a familiar voice… “That last encounter we had could have been a disaster; Just one good look at me and they could have recognized me, and it’d be all over!”

“Could you change your disguise?”

“No, that would take too long. My disguise is perfectly balanced as it is, any spontaneous changes would throw off the magic.”

“Really? Because it looks like you just change clothes.”

Ruka recognized the voice. It was Aita, she had found him! But who was this other person? She didn’t recognize his voice...was he really Yiga after all?

The mystery boy continued. “By the way, you didn’t recognize the person that attacked us right? I’d feel bad if one of your friends got hurt.”

“No, of course I didn’t recognize them, they had their mask on.” Aita responded. “Besides, the Yiga Clan is huge. While I'm still worried about being seen, the chances that we’d be attacked by someone I’m close to are pretty small.”

Ruka stared down in confusion. What on earth was Aita talking about? Being attacked by the Yiga Clan? Why would a footsoldier attack their own? What was going on?

“...By the way, what I said on the beach...” Aita said. “About not letting down my friends? That wasn’t really true. If anyone in my clan were to find out about...this. About what I’m doing.” He let out a short, nervous laugh. “They’d be so angry, they would be scouring Hyrule to find and kill me instead of you.”

“Hey, don’t worry. It’s just a truce right? We can go back to trying to kill each other whenever we want, and then your clan won’t be mad at you.”

For Ruka, it suddenly all fell into place. It was the hero.

 

Link and Aita traveled west from Puffer Beach, making a direct path to Gerudo Desert. Despite Aita’s complaints, Link couldn’t resist at least a few drills at the mounted archery camp along the way. After all, he would have to improve his skills and get stronger, wouldn’t he?

They snuck past the two Lynels in the Oseira Plains, and reached the dead end at the base of the Great Plateau. Link tearfully said goodbye to Haran, leaving him an armful of apples and many gentle pats, before they climbed the low cliff and made their way down to the Gerudo Canyon Pass. 

About halfway down the trail they stopped for dinner and slept through the night. Link made breakfast in the morning (fried bananas at Aita’s request) and the two headed out from there. As they passed the Gerudo Canyon Stable, Link wiped away a tear, wishing his dear Haran could journey with them. They passed through the Gerudo Desert Gateway, completely oblivious that they had been followed since early that morning.


	9. Kara Kara Bazaar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita stay at a desert oasis. Ruka makes her move.

“Aaaiiittaaa…” Link complained. “It’s so hot…”

“Grow up.” Aita said. “What did you expect in a desert?”

It was early evening now, but the sun still bore down on to the dry, sandy surface of Gerudo Desert. When they first crossed the threshold of the desert gateway earlier that day, Link had the inclination to remove his tunic again. Aita advised against it unless he wanted to be completely fried by the time the sun set. 

“What’s with you, then?” Link asked. “You don’t seem bothered by the heat at all!”

“I am, I’m just not a whiny child.” Aita said. “I’ve been through the Gerudo Desert a lot, I guess I’m used to it by now. The dryness doesn’t bother me.”

As they trudged along, Link glanced nervously to the sandstorm just east of them. There was a deep pounding noise every few seconds, and a faint shadow of something huge through the dust.

“Aita, is that…?”

“Yeah, that’s Vah Naboris.” Aita said. “It’s been moving here for a while now. You’re gonna need some help getting close, though. We’ve tried to sabotage it before you woke up at the Shrine of Resurrection, it didn’t end well.”

“How do you know so much about the desert?” Link asked

“...The hideout is nearby.” Aita said. “I grew up here, in a way.”

They turned a corner around a dune and saw palm trees, the shimmering surface of a spring, and a strangely shaped stone building.

“WATER!” Link yelled and took off sprinting through the sand. He took a running leap and landed in the pool with a huge splash. Aita caught up just as Link had come up to the surface. “Ahh...Aita you’ve gotta come in here, it feels so good!”

“Shh, don’t say my name here!” Aita said in a hushed tone. He had been more nervous since they entered the desert, being so close to the hideout now. This was home turf. Yiga scouts made frequent trips through the desert to rob merchants; they could be listening anywhere. “And no, I told you. I don’t swim.”

“Why, you don’t know how?” Link asked.

“Of course I know how, I just don’t.”

“Aren’t you hot? The water’s nice and cold!”

“No!” Aita snapped.

“...Alright.” Link said, slightly taken aback. “That’s okay.”

Aita was familiar with this place, the Kara Kara Bazaar. A few Gerudo merchants sat at the perimeter of the spring and milled about. Aita watched them carefully. He heard as a child that the Gerudo could spot a Yiga Clan member, even in disguise. He had always been warned to avoid them. But, he had been warned to avoid Hylians as well.

“Link, listen.” Aita said, crouching at the side of the pool. Link swam up closer. “You’re going to Gerudo Town from here, right? I think I should be going back to, uh...my home.”

“Oh...okay. Did I say something?” Link asked.

“No, it’s not that.” Aita said. “I just...I’ve been away long enough. I’m not going to be able to follow you to Vah Naboris. I shouldn’t have even come this far, I...I just feel like I’m helping you.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Link whispered.

“Yes. I was supposed to kill you.”

“Right.” Link said, looking down into the clear water. “Well...it’s already the end of the day. I don’t know where your home is, but it’s not safe to travel at night. Why don’t we get some beds, and then you can be all rested before you head back tomorrow morning?” He gave a meek smile.

Aita thought about it. He was tired, and the desert became unbearably cold at night. “I guess one night won’t make a difference...fine.”

“Okay! We’ll have to make the night worth it then!” Link said as he pulled himself out of the water. “Have you tried any of the fruits that they’re selling over there? I mean, she’s selling bananas so obviously you’ve tried those, but I’m curious about those round, green ones.”

Link bought a few hydromelons. When he noticed the ladder going to the top of the Kara Kara Bazaar, he insisted on eating them on the roof. They reached the top and the sun was nearly set, coloring the sky a deep and vivid orange.

“Wow…the desert doesn’t seem so big from up here, does it?” Link said. He was slicing a hydromelon with a sword, and handed the first piece to Aita.

“It still is.” Aita said.

Link laughed. “I know that. I guess it’s just not as intimidating when you’re not down there, wading through the hot sand, huh?”

Aita bit into the slice of melon. It was soft and sweet, cold and juicy. The excess liquid nearly ran down his face and dripped off his chin. He wiped it away with his sleeve. It was good. Different, but good.

Aita knew he wasn’t studying the hero’s techniques or learning his secrets, not now. He was wasting time, he was doing nothing. He’d been trying to justify it, and despite knowing all of this ran against everything the Yiga Clan stood for, he couldn’t figure out why it felt so nice. When the sun had completely disappeared behind the Gerudo Highlands, a bitter cold wind blew through them. The two climbed down, and Link rented two beds for the night inside.

Aita laid awake after the lights had been turned off. The thundering of Vah Naboris’ footsteps raged in the distance, but that wasn’t the only thing keeping him up. He heard Link’s whispering voice from the bunk above him, and saw the silhouette of his head peek over the edge.

“Aita?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Just in case I’m not awake by the time you head out tomorrow, I wanted to say thanks for sticking with me. I’ve been pretty lonely, waking up in a big strange world I don’t remember...I know you didn’t want to help me but...it was really nice having a friend, for a tiny bit of the journey at least.”

The word echoed in Aita’s mind. Friend.

“Will I see you again?” Link asked. “I mean, not in a mask, that is.”

There was a long and empty silence.

“...Yeah.” Aita replied at last. “You will.”

 

Ruka slipped silently in through the front doorway. The Gerudo woman watching the arrow shop up front had dozed off in her seat, and the one that was manning the Inn counter had gone to bed. Aita and the hero were sleeping in the bunk bed. It couldn’t be more perfect. She quietly unsheathed her hidden blade and crept over to the pair.

By slitting the hero’s throat, she could quickly and easily kill him and gain respect in her clan. Moreover, when the Gerudo discovered his bloody corpse in the morning, Aita would be the main suspect. If he somehow managed to survive their wrath, she would tell the clan all about his traitorous dealings, and they would make quick work of him. Goro would be so pleased with her.

She carefully climbed up to the top bunk where the hero was fast asleep. She readied her blade, and then-

Someone grabbed her ankle and pulled her down, she fell into the stone floor with a scream.

Link woke up and bolted upright in his bed “WH-WHAT, HHWHAT WAS THAT?”

The Gerudo owners burst into the room. “What happened?!” the innkeeper, Kachoo exclaimed. The younger arrow salesman, Shaillu, only stared in shock over the backside of her shop counter, still half asleep.

Aita had pinned Ruka to the floor and was struggling to get the knife out of her hands. Kachoo strode forward with confidence, swiped the blade from her hands and held down her wrists. “No one lays a hand on my customers, Yiga scum! You won’t be teleporting away if you can’t do your magic!” Ruka struggled, but her strength was no match for the much larger Gerudo. “Take off their mask, voe. Let’s see what this criminal is trying to hide.”

Aita removed her mask. He nearly blurted her name out in surprise, but stopped himself.

“He’s in the Yiga Clan too!” Ruka yelled in Aita’s face. “Don’t trust him!!”

“What?!” Kachoo looked at Aita. “What is this, are you two working together?!”

“No!!” Aita said. “She was going to kill him, I just saved his life!”

“He’s lying! He’s trying to gain your trust so he can steal all your money and kill all your customers!” 

“Shaillu, get your bow.” Kachoo ordered. 

“Stop it, all of you!” Link commanded. Aita jumped; It was a tone he’d never heard from him before, direct and forceful. He had climbed down from his bunk in all the commotion and walked over. “Aita is my friend, and I do trust him. If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t have attacked me in my sleep. He’s just not that kind of person. And I can defend myself.” he knelt down to where Ruka was pinned on the floor. “Are you okay? That sounded like a rough fall.”

“Wh-what...are you…” Ruka stuttered.

Link looked to Kachoo and Shaillu. “Do either of you have any strips of fabric? If we bundle up her hands, she won’t be able to make her hand signals and do any magic. Right, Aita?”

“Uh...oh, right.” Aita said, still a little shaken.

Kachoo hesitated. She looked nervous. “Shaillu. Go get our cloth bandages. Those will do.”

While Kachoo continued to keep her still, Link gently took one of Ruka’s hands and carefully wrapped it nice and snug with the fabric. He secured it with a tight knot, and moved on to the other hand.

“How does that feel?” Link asked her. “Is it too tight?”

“Umm, no it’s...uhh…”

“I’m sorry about this, by the way. If it were up to me I’d just let you go, but I think everyone probably has some questions they want to ask you. Is that okay?” 

“Y-yeah that’s...that’s okay…” She could feel her face going red.

Link helped her up and sat her one one of the beds, her hands now bulky from the thick bandages. He sat next to her on the mattress.

Aita glared at her from across the room. “...How long have you been following us?” He asked.

“...Since this morning.” She responded, curtly. “How long have you been a traitor?”

“I’m not a traitor, Ruka!” Aita hissed. “This...this is an extremely advanced form of espionage.”

Ruka scoffed. “Telling the hero outright that you’re in the Yiga Clan and escorting him across Hyrule is espionage, sure.”

“You were probably looking for me, right?” Link asked “And then you recognized Aita…?”

“Oh, n-no I was looking for Aita, actually. When I saw him with you, well...it was very surprising. I thought about attacking from the beginning but...I don’t know if you remember me, but we actually met before, haha…” Ruka touched her cheek with the bandages.

“Have we?”

“Yes!” She said. “Near the Cliffs of Quince. You were going to Hateno Village, I was waiting to kill you...ha, I guess it was just one of those chance encounters. You ran away though, so I was worried that if I attacked this morning, I’d just lose any chance I had! But, I guess I didn’t count on Mr. Backstabber here being an insomniac…”

“And why were you looking for me anyway?” Aita interrogated. “Why’s it any of your business?”

Ruka bit her lip and glanced to the floor. “I shouldn’t say.”

“Is it a secret?” Link asked, and Ruka nodded. “It’s okay, you can tell us! We’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble, okay?” He gently placed his hand on her forearm. 

Ruka blushed and looked away with a small giggle. “Well, truth be told, he has been a little cold to me lately...I thought it might have just been stress about this whole thing, but…” She glanced back to Link, shyly. “No one’s ever been this nice to me before, Hero…I think, I might be in lo-”

“Yiga vae. Stop.” Kachoo interrupted. She took a step closer to Ruka. “I’ve seen this before with young Gerudo who look for their soulmates in Hyrule, I’ve dealt with it on occasion myself. Just because a man shows you a basic level of decency and kindness, that doesn’t mean he’s the right match for you.”

“What do you mean?” Ruka pouted.

“There’s another boy, isn’t there? Someone who treats you kindly in private, but around others he refuses to give you the time of day? Do you think that’s love?” She asked. 

“But… he can be so sweet and gentle, sometimes…”

“Any man can be kind when he wants something out of you. The man you choose for yourself should be devoted, he should want nothing more than for the world to know that he’s yours. And this Hylian voe… you called him ‘hero’? Do you even know his name? You know nothing about him, and there you were just now, ready to proclaim your love.”

Ruka sighed deeply and rested her chin on the cloth bundles of her hands. “What am I supposed to do, then? I always suspected that Goro didn’t really care about me but...I just want a boyfriend…”

“Goro?!” Aita said. “That conniving bastard, he set you up to this?”

“Listen to me.” Kachoo strode up to Ruka and knelt down, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Be patient and be discerning. Nothing ever good comes from rushing into a relationship, it is a commitment and an agreement that is reached between two people. You’re young and you’re beautiful. You’ll find the right person in time.”

“D-do you think so?” Ruka muttered.

“Of course. Even though you’re Yiga, I can see you have a gentle heart. Living to kill and steal, it’s not becoming of you.” Kachoo said softly. 

Ruka looked down and the floor, forlorn. “I suppose I never felt like I quite belonged in the Yiga Clan, but I have nothing else. What should I do?”

“You have skills, don’t you?” Link said. “Have you thought about traveling? The Yiga seem like they make great survivalists.”

Aita scowled. “I don’t want to let her go, she must be lying. You can’t just decide to leave the clan in an instant like that.”

“Why not? Just because it’s taking you so long?” Ruka remarked, glaring at him. Before Aita could reply, she turned to Kachoo. “Can I stay here? At least, long enough for you to decide I’m genuine. And then, maybe a Gerudo from town will pass through, and I can join her to Hyrule. We can look for our soulmates together…”

Kachoo glanced at Link, and then back at Shaillu, who had returned to her book. She looked up to meet Kachoo’s gaze, and shrugged.

“...I suppose if anyone’s qualified to keep you in line, it’s us.” She stood up. “But all of you, keep quiet about this. If word gets out that we’re hosting a Yiga, it’ll be bad business. And if the Yiga Clan learns that you’ve defected and you’re hiding here, it will put us all in danger.”

“Thank you! I’m excited to have a chance to start over. My name is Ruka, by the way.” She held out her bundled fist. Kachoo took it awkwardly and shook it.

 

The following morning, Link awoke and saw Aita gathering his things. Ruka was passed out asleep in another bed.

“You’re still going home?” Link asked, peeking over the side of his bunk.

“Yeah. If I’ve been gone long enough that people are getting suspicious and sending spies after me, I need to do some damage control.” Aita responded. “You need to find a way to sneak into Gerudo Town and get someone to help you approach Vah Naboris.”

“Sneak in? Why would I need to sneak in?”

“Because,” Aita explained. “They don’t allow men inside.”

“Oh. That could be a issue.” Link said. “...You said I’d see you again, right? When?”

Aita considered it for a moment. “...I’ll meet you back here in three days, after dusk. We’ll talk then.”

Link smiled and laid his head back down on the pillow. “Alright. See you later.”


	10. Yiga Clan Hideout Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita spends some time at home. Link gives him some troubling news.

Aita set off from Kara Kara Bazaar early that morning. He hadn’t slept well, and not just because of Ruka’s break-in. If Aita couldn’t defeat Link, there was no way Ruka could. But did she really think she was in love with him? How stupid, she didn’t even know him. Not nearly as well as he did. Link would know that, right? He wouldn’t fall for her flirting and fawning, he couldn’t. 

No, he hadn’t slept due to the anxious pit in his stomach. The thought of returning to the Yiga Hideout filled him with dread. He had done so much that stood against the very core of their values. No matter how much he tried to defend himself, if anyone found out...it didn’t bear thinking about.

As he tried to clear the thoughts from his mind, Aita stopped in his tracks. He had already reached the Northern Ice House. Did he...did he really just forget he could teleport? He slapped his forehead with his palm; He and Link had done nothing but walking since Aita been with him and he had been so lost in his thoughts, years of training had just slipped his mind. He took a deep breath, formed a symbol with his hands, and in just seconds he was standing at the hideout entrance. 

The teleportation had automatically dispelled his disguise. It felt odd to be wearing his mask again. He used to just forget it was there. It used to be his true face, the face of his clan; he would get lost in it, lose his identity in it. Now all he could think about was that it made it difficult to see, difficult to breathe. He had gone too long without it. 

Aita tried to walk through the entrance with a facade of confidence. As he walked through the hideout, no one stopped to question him, no one stared, no one bothered to even acknowledge him. He was glad for it.

He found Eji on one of the lower levels in a training gym with three young kids. While Eji was still expected to oversee and give orders to Aita, Goro and Kei, the three of them had graduated to full fledged footsoldiers and were expected to have some initiative and organization for themselves. Eji had been given a new group of young trainees to transform into soldiers. Aita remembered his own training as a child; grueling early mornings, constant drills, unexpected and ruthless matches with his peers. The children were running laps now while Eji supervised.

“Aita, welcome back.” Eji said. “Anything to report?”

“No, sir.” Aita bowed briefly. “My time in Hyrule has been uneventful since we last spoke.” He had been practicing this conversation in his head.

“I see. So, why are you here?”

“If you would permit me, sir, I’d like to spend a few days here to sharpen up on my training. I’m concerned about losing my edge, doing nothing but waiting by Kakariko Bridge.” Aita lied.

Eji was silent as he deliberated. He did that a lot, Aita realized. No reaction, no response until several moments later. It was unbearable to ask a question or make a request and be completely unsure how he would respond. It was especially bad when he was deciding whether or not to deal punishment. At several times in his past, Aita felt that long pause was a thread that his life was hanging from. 

“...Fine.” Eji said at last, and let out an annoyed sigh. “All three of my footsoldiers milling about here while the hero is still at large. What a disappointment.”

“All three, sir?” Aita asked.

“Yes. If you see Goro, tell him that if he doesn’t get his ass out to Hebra, I’m going to give him a good reason to stay here. Maybe Kei would enjoy the company in the medic ward.”

“Medic ward, sir?!”

“I’m surprised you didn’t know.” Eji said, turning back to face the children on the track. “She got struck by lightning in a battle with the hero. Quite a story.”

“L-lightning, sir?!”

“That’s what I said, Aita.” Eji raised his voice. “Is that all?”

Aita was glad Eji couldn’t see his face. “Yes, sir.”

“Then you’re dismissed.”

 

Aita quickly made his way down to the medic ward. He parted the curtains and saw Kei there among other sick and injured, reclining on a bed mat, back propped up against a pillow. She wasn’t wearing her mask or her uniform, but instead a lose second-hand robe. Her hair was down and unwashed. She looked miserable. 

“Kei!” He rushed over. “Are you alright?”

She shot him a death glare. “Get the hell out of here.”

Aita froze. That had to be her on the beach that day, wasn't it? Did she recognize him? Had she seen him?

“Wh-what do you mean?” He asked.

“If you’re going to pity me, you can leave. 'Am I alright'?! Do you think I’m a child that needs to be coddled, Aita?” She snarled.

Of course. Why did he even bother asking if she was alright? That was something Link would have asked, not him. "Hmph. Die then.” Aita responded, sitting on the floor, trying to keep up his aloof charade.

“You’re making me wish I had.” she said “At least I wouldn’t be stuck here talking to you.”

Aita smiled under his mask. Part of him had missed this, he didn’t think Link would have understood a good exchange of insults. “So, lightning huh? How did it feel?”

“It hurt, stupid, how do you think? But, I guess the scar is gonna be pretty cool.” She moved her blanket to show him her leg, covered completely in bandages. “I’ll have to show you later. I’m sure these nobodies will get angry if I take these off.”

Aita felt a sharp pang of guilt at seeing her leg in that condition. It was his fault. And he had done it to save Link, no less.

“Hey, do me a favor.” Kei said. “Give me my bag.”

“Oh, sure.” He reached over to grab it, and handed it to her. 

She rifled through it momentarily. “Tell me something.” She pulled something out and threw it at Aita’s face. “What is that?”

Aita picked it up and looked at it. It was a strip of tan fabric, with splotches of dried blood. “A dirty bandage? Kei, why do you have this?”

“I found it outside after your supposed Lynel incident. I’ve checked, the fabric doesn’t match anything we have here. That’s your blood, isn’t it? And you got that bandage from a Hylian.” She said.

Aita remembered, now. Link had torn that bandage off an old shirt he had, from before he bought his Hylian armor. “...That’s ridiculous, Kei. You’re jumping to conclusions.”

She grabbed Aita’s shoulder and sharply pulled him closer. “You didn’t fight a Lynel, Aita. Goro knows it too.” She hissed. “They’re too rare, and you would have been in worse shape from their elemental arrows. You’re lying about something, and you’re going to tell me what.”

Aita sat in stunned silence for a moment. He had to think of something, quick.

“A...a bokoblin.” he muttered. “It threw a rock at me and broke my mask. I was bleeding while in disguise, some Hylian travelers saw me and gave me the bandage. I was too embarrassed to tell the truth when I asked for a replacement for my mask.”

Kei stared at him. “...Are you serious.”

Aita nodded and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

Kei stared forward for a few seconds, and then began to snicker. She burst out laughing. “You really are pathetic!! A bokoblin?! You have got to be kidding me!”

Aita relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. She bought it. “At least I didn’t get struck by lightning. You finally face the hero and you get taken out by the weather?”

She wiped the corner of her eye with her knuckle, she had been laughing so hard she’d begun to cry. Aita didn’t think he’d ever seen her this happy. “Please!! I’d get struck by lightning a thousand times before I’d get so scared by a damn bokoblin that I’d run to a Hylian for help! You’re such a joke!!”

“Yeah, I wish you would get struck by lightning a thousand times. Maybe one of those times you’ll get hit in the face, then the medics can do us all a favor and cover it all up.”

Kei let out a satisfied sigh when she had finally finished laughing. “Truth be told, I didn’t really see any reason to kill the hero before. I was just after him for the glory. But now,” She turned to look at Aita with a slight smile “I’ll have to get my revenge, won’t I? Even if I’m not quick enough to kill him, he’s got a friend who’s just as responsible for this.” She gently laid her hand on her thigh, over the edge of the bandages. “I’m going to remember that for as long as I have this scar to remind me.”

Aita had to keep himself from visibly moving as a shiver ran through his body. 

“Sure you will.” he said, standing up. “Where’s Goro?”

“How should I know? He’s around here somewhere, he never leaves.”

 

Aita had no reason to go and search Goro out. He had nothing to say, running up to him to ask “Hey, why the hell did you send Ruka to spy on me?” would have only solidified his suspicions, especially if Ruka actually never ends up coming back. He spent his time training like he told Eji he would, but despite following the same routine he had been on his entire life, he couldn’t quite get into it. 

4 AM. Wake up, sharpen and polish sickle, perform maintenance on bow. Aita overslept.  
5 AM. Morning run. The route went from the back entrance of the hideout, up to the base of Laparoh Mesa, around across the Vatorsa Snowfield, and ended with rock climbing practice down the sheer cliff back towards the hideout. He was attacked by a group of lizalfos and ended up taking longer than usual.  
7AM. Breakfast. Aita missed fried bananas.  
8AM. Archery practice, not a single bullseye.  
12PM. Lunch. Aita missed buttered apples.   
1PM. Workout. He was tiring easily and needed to take more frequent breaks.  
3PM. Sickle practice. The only people available for him to duel against were trainees, and he lost.  
6PM. Dinner. Aita even missed mushroom risotto.  
7PM. Evening run. This route went southwest down the Karusa Valley and back up. By the time Aita reached the desert, he was exhausted and needed to walk back.  
10PM. Bed.

The next three days were more or less the same. Aita kicked himself for getting out of shape like this, but then again, what was the point? What on Earth was he training for. Did he really expect to go up against Link now? Even if he wanted to, would Link really accept? Not now, not that he considered Aita his friend.

 

On the third day, Aita was preparing to leave again when he ran into Goro at last.

“Aita!” he called “I just talked with Kei, I didn’t even know you were here. Why didn’t you say something?”

“What, are you missing me?” Aita asked. He was still cross about the situation with Ruka. “I wouldn’t think you’d be getting lonely, spending all your time here instead of your post.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk.” Goro said. He had an annoyed tone to his voice, too. “I thought you could at least bring me back some info, gossip, whatever, after everything I’ve done to help you.”

“Like what? Giving me some fake information about the hero being in Floria? Great help there, Goro.” 

“Like defending you against Eji when you broke your mask. Did you really think that Lynel excuse was any-”

“Kei already told me, I know you didn’t believe it. If you want to know the truth, get it from her.”

“I did.” Goro said. “And I’m not falling for that, either.”

Aita’s heart skipped a beat.

Goro lowered his voice down to a whisper. “A bokoblin, really? You were one of the top trainees in our class. You were Eji’s favorite. Kei believed that story because she wants to believe that she’s stronger than you. You two have always been like that. But with everything I know about you, I’m not buying it.”

Aita didn’t respond. Again, he was glad that no one could see his face.

“Watch your back.” Goro said as he walked away. The phrase was a common Yiga goodbye, but it had never occured to Aita the true meaning of it before now.

 

Aita teleported a short distance from the Kara Kara Bazaar, transformed into his disguise, and walked the rest of the way. The sun was setting and the desert air was cooling down. Link was sitting at the edge of the spring, his feet in the water. As Aita approached, he looked up, then stood and jogged over to meet him. 

“You came!” Link said, his expression a mix of relief and excitement. “I was starting to get worried.”

“Why?” Aita asked. “You thought I wouldn’t?”

Link looked down in embarrassment. “I thought maybe...you wanted out of our truce, but you thought I wouldn’t agree to it. I was worried you’d go away and I’d never be able to tell you apart from any other Yiga footsoldier again.”

“Ha, honestly I didn’t even think of that…” Aita replied. “Though I might have been tempted, if I had.”

Link smiled. “Let’s find a place to talk.”

Aita suggested the roof again, but Link turned it down. Someone had been staying up there recently; he said that she helped him out, but it still wouldn’t be good for her to hear their conversation. They walked around to the back of the inn and sat in the sand at the base of the stone wall.

“Is Ruka still in there?” Aita asked.

“Yeah, Kachoo says she’s been keeping herself really busy. She’s been making the beds for guests and sweeping the floors, stuff like that. They removed the bandages from her hands and she hasn’t tried to run away. She seems happy.”

“Good, good…” Aita said. “And she’s not...you don’t think she still loves you, do you?”

Link laughed. “I don’t know, I haven’t been spending much time here.” he said. “I went to Gerudo Town though! It was really nice, there’s so much to buy and eat there.”

“Really? How did you get in? I thought they didn’t let men inside.”

“Yeah, haha.” Link blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s actually how the girl on the roof helped me...I got into Gerudo Town in her clothes.”

“Oh.” Aita said, blushing a bit too. “That’s good.”

“I was kinda worried if anyone would believe it, especially since you could see all the scars on my stomach! But everyone said I make a cute girl, so, that was nice.”

“Girls can have scars.” Aita remarked, thinking of Kei.

“That’s true. Maybe I had nothing to worry about.” Link smiled briefly before a troubled look came to his face. “I also met with the chief, Riju...she said she would help me get close to Naboris, but...there’s something she needs first. It’s called the thunder helm.”

“I’ve heard of that.” Aita said. “It’s a Gerudo heirloom, right? If she’s the chief she should already have it, why didn’t she just help you?”

“Because,” Link replied. “The Yiga Clan stole it. If I’m going to conquer Vah Naboris, I need to go and take it back.”

Aita suddenly couldn’t breathe. “W-what?!” he choked out. “No, no you can’t. Link, they’ll kill you in a second! You may have been able to stand your ground against me or other footsoldiers, but we’re the bottom rung. As soon as a blademaster finds you, it’ll be over!”

“I know it’s not going to be easy, but I don’t have any other choice!” Link pleaded.

“The Gerudo can do it! Tell the chief to send an army, it’s her heirloom, she can get it herself!” Aita said.

“They don’t know where the hideout is, Aita. I don’t even know where it is, but I’ll be easier for me to search.”

“No, you won’t make it out alive!” Aita insisted. “This isn’t your responsibility; why the hell should you have to put yourself in danger over this?!”

“Because, Aita. I’m supposed to be the hero.” Link said, with finality. 

Aita sat there in stunned silence until Link spoke again. “You told me to stop running away, so I’m not. I need to do this. I can’t ask you to betray your clan by allowing this to happen; so if we need to break our truce right now, then I’m ready.” 

Link looked straight into Aita’s eyes. His gaze was focused and intense. For the first time, Aita felt that he was finally in the presence of the legendary hero.

“...No, no I don’t want to fight you.” Aita muttered.

“Oh, thank the gods.” Link slumped down in relief. “I was so scared you’d say yes! I was nervous enough about going to the hideout. Having to fight you would be unbearable.”

Aita took a deep breath. “Link, listen. You can't fight anyone. You can’t even be seen, got it? I'll...I’ll bring you there, I’ll guide you through it. If you follow my lead, we might both get out of there in one piece.”

“Wh-what? Aita you don’t have to help me!” Link said “You said that helping me was bad, and I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“So what, you’re gonna run in there blind? You wouldn’t even make it through the threshold. So unless you’re actually planning on killing yourself, I’m coming.”

Link didn’t bother arguing anymore. He leaned back and looked up to the sky. Neither of them had realized that the stars had already come out.

“I remembered something today, when I came back here.” Link said, quietly. “I was here with Princess Zelda, 100 years ago. Some Yiga footsoldiers attacked her, and I fought them off.” He looked over to Aita with a smile. “I’m kind of glad that I forgot that. If I had started this journey with the idea that everyone in the Yiga Clan was evil, then I wouldn’t have met you.”


	11. Yiga Clan Hideout Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita helps Link infiltrate the Yiga Clan Hideout to find the Thunder Helm.

That very night, under the cover of darkness, Aita quietly led Link up the Karusa Valley to the Yiga Hideout. Link had put away his bulky Hylian armor in favor of a sleek, dark blue set of Sheikah stealth armor. It made Aita a little nervous, but if Link was to get caught, it’s not like deciding to wear non-Sheikah clothes would save him.

They arrived to the entrance of the hideout; a dusty old cavern lit with nothing but dim torches and adorned with decrepit tapestries. 

“Aita, you live here?” Link whispered incredulously.

“Ssh! Shut up, don’t talk. Don’t even breathe too loud.” Aita snuck up to one of the tapestries and pushed it aside to peek behind. “...Okay, the coast is clear. Listen to me.” Aita walked up to his friend and grabbed his shoulder, speaking in a low whisper. "I’ve had to sneak through here several times without being seen. I know the route, but you have to do what I say, alright? I think the Gerudo heirloom has got to be in Master Kohga’s room; that’s on this floor so it’s a straight shot. I’ll get you there, you take it back, and you’re out before anyone even knows you’re here.”

“Master Kohga?” Link asked.

“That’s our leader.” Aita said. “He’s very strong. If you’re lucky, you’ll never even see him.”

Link nodded in understanding, and followed Aita past the tapestry. They climbed a dark and worn set of stairs. At the top, Aita peeked around the corner off the balcony to the floor below, but Link gasped and ran forward to a cell with a Gerudo woman sleeping inside.

“Hey, psst!” Link whispered. “I’m gonna get you out of here, okay?” He started investigating wooden bars to find a way to open them. The Gerudo began to stir. 

“Huh? Get me out?” She pulled herself up, and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Behind you!! A Yiga footsoldier!” She hissed.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s my friend, he’s helping me!”

“Link!” Aita rushed over, having just now realized what Link was doing. “What did I say? You’re going to draw attention to yourself!”

The Gerudo scoffed. “I’ve never heard of a Yiga being anything but a nuisance, much less a friend. You be careful about this one kid, things might seem fine now but when things go south, you better have a plan when he sells you out to all his real friends.”

Aita clenched his fists. “Let’s go Link, we’re wasting time.”

“We can’t just leave her here...” Link pleaded.

“He’s not gonna help me! I can take care of myself.”

“But…!”

Aita groaned in frustration. He quickly made a hand signal and touched the glowing rune beside the cell. The gate opened. “If it gets you to hurry up, then fine!” he whispered to Link, and turned to the Gerudo. “You, get out of here. Go tell your chief that he’s getting her dumb heirloom, alright?”

The Gerudo looked dumbfounded. She got to her feet and quietly moved towards the exit. “...Good luck, kid. Hope I’m wrong about him.”

Link was about to thank Aita before he spoke. “So, are you going to listen to her?” Aita said. “Do you have a plan if I sell you out?”

He looked worried for a second, but then a look of resolve came across the hero’s face. “No.” Link replied. “If I didn’t trust you completely, I wouldn’t have followed you here.”

Aita looked back towards the balcony edge. “Well I’m glad you have faith in me, that makes one of us.”

They made it past the first guard fairly easily. Aita walked by and casually nodded at the blademaster guard; a signal for Link that he wasn’t looking. Link crept silently by as the blademaster nodded back in greeting. Link hurried to follow Aita into another hiding spot. The next guard was standing in front of a doorway they needed to enter.

“Okay, I’m going to try to lure him away. You stay here.” Aita whispered, and walked out into the open. 

“Uhh, blademaster? Excuse me.” Aita greeted. He had no idea who this blademaster was, not by looks alone. This would be complete improvisation.

“Hm? You’re one of Eji’s kids aren’t you? What was your name?”

“Oh, it’s um, Goro.” Aita lied. “Eji actually sent me up here, he said he needs to talk to you.”

“About what?” The blademaster asked.

“He...didn’t say.” Aita responded.

The blademaster sighed. “Eji knows my schedule, if he wants to talk then it can wait until after my shift.”

“Uh, yeah that’s the thing! He said it was, um, urgent, and-”

“...What’s that?” The blademaster interrupted, pointing at something behind Aita. Aita turned to see a bunch of bananas sitting in the walkway. 

“Um. It’s. It looks like. Bananas.” Aita said.

“...Are they yours?” the blademaster asked.

“N-no sir. They’re not mine.” Aita replied.

The blademaster slowly pushed Aita aside and walked towards the bananas. Suddenly Link appeared from behind the corner and silently sprinted through the doorway while the blademaster was bending down to pick up the bunch. Aita quickly followed him up the stairs without another word.

“My lucky day, I guess.” The blademaster said, turning around to the empty room. “...Hm? Goro? You there?”

Once they were safely far away, Aita grabbed Link’s wrist. “What was that?!” He hissed through clenched teeth. “Bananas? Did you really think that would work?!”

“Well you really like them! I thought maybe everyone in your clan did?” Link said.

“That’s stupid! Everyone loves bananas, they’re delicious!” Aita said. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Okay. You go up that ladder there, it’ll take you to one of our storage rooms. From there you can get up into the rafters. I don’t think they can hold both of us, so I’ll walk along the ground to lead the way.”

Link climbed the ladder and Aita waited for his signal before walking out into the next room. It was one of the larger gathering rooms of the hideout, one that Master Kohga preferred for its proximity to his own quarters.

Aita began to walk through the room, trying to look casual and unsuspicious, glancing up to see if Link was ready. As he was about make his way towards the goal, someone entered the room.

“...Aita?” Goro asked, stopping to scrutinize him. 

Aita jumped. “Goro! What are you...what are you still doing here, huh?”

“I was just heading out, actually. I thought all the interesting stuff around here had passed. Didn’t expect you to be back so soon, though. It’s only been a few hours.” Goro said, a curious tone to his voice.

“I...forgot something.” 

There was a quick FWOOSH above them as Link used his paraglider to glide onto the rafters. Goro perked up and looked around.

“What was that, did you hear it?” He asked

“A breeze!” Aita said. “You should get going, Eji’s real mad that you’re still hanging out here!! I have to go get that thing, that I forgot! Good luck at your post Goro, you’re fighting the good fight.” Aita gave Goro a light push on the back towards the exit, and turned to walk away. Goro hesitated, but shrugged and walked out of the room.

Link followed Aita towards the entrance to Master Kohga’s room. Before Aita could attempt to strike up a conversation with the guard, Link dropped another banana out into the pathway, catching the blademaster’s attention. He silently paraglided down from the rafters and through the doorway, and Aita slipped past as well. 

The entered Master Kohga’s room. Aita was nearly shaking with nerves, practically everyone had been forbidden to enter here. 

“Okay, just start looking around! The sooner we find that dumb helmet, the sooner you can leave!” Aita whispered. A few minutes of frantic searching yielded no results.

“Oh, I have an idea!” Link said, taking out his Sheikah Slate. “I can use this to find and move metal! The thunder helm is metal, right?” he activated magnesis on the slate.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen it!” Aita said, still searching. 

Something seemed to catch Link’s attention, and he touched the screen of the slate. Aita flinched as one of the walls turned on an axis, revealing a secret exit to the backside of the hideout: a large cavernous area with a huge, deep pit in the center.

“Do you think it’s out there?” Link asked.

Aita peeked out. “...I don’t know, but Master Kohga hangs out there a lot. If you’re going to search out there, I’m going another way out. If anyone sees that I was in this room, I’m done for.”

“What do I do if I see Master Kohga?” Link asked.

“You run, obviously! You don’t stand a chance against him!” Aita said. Link looked anxious, and Aita patted his back. “I’ll meet you out there, okay? Don’t get killed while I’m gone.” And he turned and left the room. Link stepped out of the exit, and closed it behind him.

 

Goro didn’t have an explanation for Aita’s weird behavior. He’d been acting weird for a while now, but this was new. Maybe his threat from earlier that day had gotten to him.

He climbed the ladder to the storage room; he needed plenty of rations if he was going to go to Hebra after all. When he reached the end of the hallway, he froze.

Every single banana. Every last one, gone.

Could other footsoldiers have taken them? No, Goro came to this room often, its where he heard the best information from soldiers out in the field, and just that day it had been full! Could Aita have taken them, is that why he was acting strange? But why, for what purpose? It didn’t make sense. 

And then it all fit into place.

Goro sprinted down into the medic’s ward, a mixture of giddy excitement and anxiety coursing through him. He practically tore down the curtains into the room where Kei was still resting on her bed mat. Eji was seated beside her.

“Goro!” Eji scolded. “What’s wrong with you? Kei needs peace and quiet if she’s going to recover.”

“I’m sorry Master Eji, but!” Goro panted, “I think the hero is here! I think he’s infiltrated the base!”

 

Aita bolted to another secret exit to the back of the hideout. It was a door hidden behind one of the lanterns hanging alongside the cliff wall. All entrances to the hideout had to be hidden in some way like that.

It took him only a few minutes to reach the small door. He slid it open and silently crept out, confident he would be hidden inside the lantern’s wooden housing. He peeked out on to the ground below. Master Kohga was there, and Link was fighting him.

He was dead, that was it, Aita thought. Link is absolutely done for, this mission was a mistake. 

But then, Link got a hit in. A good hit. He was using the Sheikah Slate to counteract Master Kohga’s advanced techniques! A few well timed arrows, some magnesis...Aita watched with interest; could the most powerful person in the Yiga Clan really be such a non-threat to the hero?

At last, Master Kohga seemed to be near the end of his strength when he conjured up his ultimate technique. Aita had only heard rumors, he never dreamed of witnessing it in person. A giant, spiked wrecking ball was summoned between them. Master Kohga was saying something when it slowly began to roll backwards. Aita only heard his shouts of fear and promises of retribution as Master Kohga tumbled back into the pit, his ultimate technique rolling over the edge and falling down after him.

Link rushed to the edge to look down. A chest appeared beside him in a puff of smoke and paper talismans; the person who had hidden it there was now dead. Link opened it. In the bottom, golden and pristine, was the Thunder Helm.

Aita leaped down to the ground and sprinted over to Link, grabbing him firmly by the shoulders.

“What have you done?!” he shouted, panicking.

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Link stuttered. “The, the ball! It rolled back, I didn’t have time to stop it, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t you get it?!” Aita said. “Now they’re never going to leave you alone! You killed Master Kogha!”

At Aita’s last exclamation the hidden wall pivoted open again, this time by brute force alone. Aita felt his entire body go cold as he looked over to see Eji, Goro and Kei (still in her hospital robes), and a small crowd of other footsoldiers and blademasters staring back at him. Everything was silent, except for the quiet whispers of disbelief in the crowd. 

“Master Kogha is...dead?”

“The hero, he was here all along…”

“He killed the boss…”

The silence was pierced by Eji’s furious, booming voice. “Aita!!” He yelled. “What are you waiting for, kill him! Throw him over the edge, do it now!!”

The others in the crowd joined in, urging Aita to do it, to toss the hero into the pit to his demise. Goro and Kei watched intently and silently; he was practically shivering with anticipation and adrenaline, she was growing more and more frustrated with Aita’s hesitation.

Aita was frozen in place, eyes locked on the crowd. Link slowly looked away from them and back to Aita; he was mortified but didn’t move, didn’t struggle to escape from his grip.

Kei grabbed a sickle from someone’s back. “I’ve had enough of this!” She said, limping forward on her burned leg. “If you’re too weak to kill him, just hold him still! I’ll slit his damn throat!” She yelled. 

Something snapped inside Aita and he made a sudden decision. He wrapped his arms around Link’s waist, and dove down into the pit with him. Everyone rushed past Kei to the edge of the hole.

As they fell, Aita did everything to clear his mind. Clear of it his fear of being caught, the fear of what he was doing, fear of what the rest of his life would be, fear of hitting the bottom of this pit. He focused all his concentration on the signals of his hands, still wrapped around Link, and he teleported. It didn’t matter where. Anywhere but here.

 

They landed in the dunes at the base of the Great Cliffs. The sun had already risen, and the sand was hot as they tumbled through it in their rough landing. 

Link sat up, pulled down the mask covering his mouth and brushed some sand off of his lips. “Aita!!” he yelled. “That was amazing!! I didn’t know you could teleport with two people!!”

“Me neither.” Aita coughed, still laying in the sand, half buried. “Maybe I overdid it.”

“What are you talking about, you saved our lives! This is great! Riju’s gonna be so-” he stopped. “...I-I forgot to grab the thunder helm!! Aita we have to go back!!” Link yelled, grabbing the sides of his head in anguish. 

Aita let out a weak laugh as he managed to pull himself up. He dug a bit through the sand beside him and pulled it out; the golden Gerudo heirloom. “I grabbed it at the last minute…”

Link stared in awe and took the helm as Aita offered it to him. He looked at it for a moment, then set it aside in the sand and lunged forward, giving Aita a firm and tight hug. 

“Thank you so much, Aita.” Link said. “Without you I’d be dead, I’m sure of it.”

Aita blinked in surprise as Link held him. He had never felt quite this much gratitude. His words wouldn’t leave. Other voices were there too, swimming through his head:

“Anyway it’s not like I have much chance killing the hero. If anyone’s going to do it, it’ll probably be you, Aita.”  
“I’ll have to get my revenge, won’t I? Even if I’m not quick enough to kill him, he’s got a friend who’s just as responsible for this.”  
“You won’t disappoint me.”

His head was light. Was it the unbearable heat? Perhaps he had over exerted himself with that spell. Link was talking to him, but he heard only his muffled indistinguishable words, a sharp ringing in his ears, and the garbled voices of his clan...his former clan. He felt his body go limp in Link’s arms and saw only his worried face before his vision blurred and went to black.


	12. The Great Plateau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita look for a safe place to hide from the Yiga Clan.

When Aita awoke, he was laying in a bed surrounded by white curtains. It was dark. His face was burning up and he was drenched in sweat, but he felt himself shivering and his hands were clammy. Disoriented, he called out to Link, but his voice was weak and hoarse. Within moments, a curtain parted and Link stepped inside.

"Aita!" he said quietly, and sat down on the bed. "I'm glad you're okay, I was so worried about you."

"Wh...where are we…?" Aita muttered.

"Gerudo Canyon Stables." Link replied. "You passed out in the desert. I tried taking you to back to Kara Kara Bazaar, but Kachoo said it was too dangerous for her to give asylum to two Yiga Clan defects at once. So, I carried you here. The owner wasn't happy, he made me put up these curtains so no one could see you in your uniform..."

Aita shifted to push the blankets off of him; it was too damn hot, he felt like he was on fire. He looked down and his body, still clothed in the dark red fabric of the Yiga Clan uniform. His body didn't feel like his.

"Ah, I’m sorry." Link said, noticing Aita's gaze. "I took off your mask and managed to get your hood off, but I wasn't sure how to remove the rest...you've still got a fever but-"

Aita reached up to his neck with hands that felt out of his control, grabbed the edge of his collar and pulled with what strength he had. 

"Aita!" Link said "Wait, what are you doing?!"

He kept pulling at the fabric until he heard the sound of ripping seams and snapping threads. He tore the uniform open down to his chest, then grabbed a handful of crimson wrappings from his arm and tugged those until they tore as well. He struggled to pull his arm from its sleeve, contorting to try to get his shoulder through the huge tear down the front of the uniform. He was sweating and breathing heavily from the effort.

"Aita, stop! You need to relax!" Link gently pushed Aita back down on to the bed. 

"Get it off of me..." Aita gasped. "I'm...I'm burning up..."

"Ah, um..." Link looked worried. "I'll ask the owner if he has any scissors, I'll be right back okay!" He stepped back behind the curtains.

Before he could return, Aita drifted off again.

 

The next morning, Aita awoke to a gentle tapping on his shoulder. It was Link.

"Hey, good morning...I'm sorry but we have to go today, they only agreed to one night." Link whispered. "The good news is that they found Haran for us and brought him here!"

Aita felt cooler, his head was more clear. He soon realized his uniform was off; under the blankets he only had his underwear.

Link stood up from the bed. "You keep resting, I'm gonna start getting us ready to go, okay?"

Aita sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. A couple minutes later, Link stepped through the curtains again. He was holding something folded in his arms, and instead if his Hylian armor, he was wearing a bright, sky blue tunic with white accents. A geometric design of a sword adorned the front.

Aita looked at the new tunic. It was nice on him. "What are you wearing?" He asked. 

Link looked a little embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck and placed the stack of folded clothing at the foot of the bed. "Impa gave it to me in Kakariko...she said I wore it 100 years ago, back when I was a champion." He explained. "I haven't been wearing it because....well I guess I wanted to wait until I felt like I deserved it? I don't know. But you needed clothes so, you wear my Hylian armor, okay?"

Aita’s initial instinct was to argue and refuse, but he was too exhausted. Not like he had any better ideas. Link left him alone to change. The outfit was complicated; too many layers, too many parts. An undershirt, chainmail, tunic, leather armor pieces, gloves, belts. He took his time putting it on, his mind was still foggy from his fever. 

The clothes were a bit loose on him; Link was a more muscular and broad than Aita’s slim frame, but he didn’t think that would be a difference that he could feel in the size of their clothes.  
The tunic was unwashed, with a few scuffs of dried mud and grass seeds clinging to the fabric that Aita halfheartedly tried to pick off. It smelled like Link too, but it wasn’t unpleasant.  
When he tried to stand, his legs felt shaky and he steadied himself on the bedpost before regaining his balance. He walked quietly through the stable’s sleeping quarters and exited the building. It was still early morning. The sun had just barely risen, and a cool gust of wind was blowing through the canyon from the desert.

Link was making the final adjustments to Haran’s saddle. He turned to smile at Aita as he stepped out.

“So, uh. I knew you wouldn’t like this but, we’re both gonna have to ride on Haran.” Link said, meekly. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Aita told him. “I’d rather you just take me back into the desert to die.”

“Tsk, c’mon don’t be like that.” Link said. “It’s easy, I’ll help you.” 

Link hoisted himself up into the saddle quickly and easily, and offered a hand down to him. Aita looked at it, hesitant. He didn’t want to, but the thought of walking through the canyon in this state made him eventually take Link’s hand. 

“Okay, just put your left foot in that stirrup, there. Don’t worry, you won’t fall.” Link said, while Aita followed his directions. “Good good, on the count of three, step up and swing your leg over his back, I’ll help pull you up. One, two...three!”

With a fair bit of effort and help from Link, Aita soon found himself in the back half of the saddle. It felt unsteady, and far too high up.

“There we go, not too bad, right?” Link said, turning his head back towards Aita. “We’ll go slow, okay? I don’t think Haran could even run with both of us, anyway.”

“I’m gonna fall off, what am I supposed to hold on to?!” Aita said. 

“Just hold on to my waist, okay?” Link replied. “We’re both in the saddle so we won’t fall off, but you can use your legs to hold on to his body a little better if you can manage.”

Aita slowly and reluctantly wrapped his arms around Link’s midsection. He was doubtful at first, but as Link set Haran off walking, he did feel more secure. Link’s body remained sturdy and still despite the movement. They made their way up the canyon.

“So, what are you going to do?” Aita asked him, quietly. 

“I’m going to take you somewhere safe where you can recover.” Link responded. 

“I didn’t ask what you were going to do with me...” Aita said. “The Yiga Clan is furious, they’re going to retaliate. What are you going to do about it?”

Link thought for a moment. “Maybe now that Master Kogha is dead, they won’t be as dangerous? They don’t have the leadership that they had before, right?”

Aita scoffed.The effort of that morning had worn him out again, his cheeks felt warm and his muscles were tired. He leaned forward, resting his head on Link’s back. “Not when there was barely any leadership to begin with. All we’ve done is kick the hornet’s nest.”

Link’s voice was drifting away, but Aita heard him say something before he fell asleep. “...I think I have an idea.”

 

Aita floated in and out of consciousness as they rode, it was hard to get a good rest on the back of a horse. The copper red walls of the canyon eventually changed to green rolling fields to an imposing gray cliff to their right. They stopped in the Gatepost Town Ruins, and Link gently shook Aita awake.

“We’re at the Great Plateau.” Link told him. “Well, the base of it. Do you think the Yiga Clan would be expecting us to hide up there?”

Aita thought about it. Its true that some Yiga scouts had been sent there, but only to check on the Shrine of Resurrection to see if the hero had risen. Since then, he hadn’t heard of anyone even going to the top. “I guess not.” Aita responded. “But...how am I supposed to get up there?”

Link jumped off Haran. “Can’t you teleport?” He offered a hand to help Aita down.

He shook his head as he took Link’s hand and slid off Haran’s back. “I can only teleport to places I’ve been, and it takes a lot of concentration. I don’t think I could pull it off like this.” Aita explained. “Truth be told...I don’t know if I could ever do it again. I guess I’m not a Yiga anymore, so I’m not sure if I...if I even have access to that magic, wherever it was.”

Link furrowed his brow in concern, then took the Sheikah Slate from his waist and offered it to Aita. “How about this? There’s some shrines up there, I’ll lend you this and you can use it to teleport, then I’ll just climb up after you.”

“W-what?” Aita responded, shocked. “I thought only you were supposed to use that; is that okay?”

“Sure!” Link said, eagerly placing the slate in Aita’s hands. “You used the camera function on it already, remember? Here.” He opened the map and zoomed in on a shrine icon on the northern side of the plateau. “Just sit tight and wait for me, okay? I’ll be right up.”

“Link, wait, I don’t want-” Aita began, but Link tapped the icon and suddenly Aita was gone.

Teleportation with the Sheikah Slate felt somewhat similar to what he was used to, but different enough to be uncomfortable. The unique feeling of being taken apart in ribbons of light and reassembled somewhere else knocked the wind out of Aita as he landed at the platform of the shrine.

“-to be alone…” 

No response but the wind through the grass and the distant chirping of birds. Aita looked around. The shrine was near several ponds with dilapidated guardians and crumbling architecture. He looked into the water from where he was standing and shivered. It was deep.

He walked into the back of the shrine and sat there, clutching the Sheikah Slate close. Link needed it. As long as he had it, Link would be back. He felt pathetic like this, for being sick, for reacting like this. This had to be the fever, he thought. He had to be delirious. The dark, small and cool interior of the shrine brought back memories of that deep well of freezing water deep underneath the Gerudo Highlands.

About an hour later, Aita snapped awake to the sound of footsteps outside. He hadn’t even realized that he’d been drifting off again. He pulled the slate close to his chest, imagining a white mask with a red eye appearing at the opening...

Soon, Link peeked around the corner into the shrine. “There you are!” He said smiling, his face a bit flushed and sweaty from the climb. He stepped inside and helped Aita stand up. “When I said stay put, I didn’t really expect you to be hiding inside the shrine.” Aita handed the Sheikah Slate back but didn’t respond, feeling embarrassed for how he’d reacted earlier.

 

The two of them walked south, past the Sheikah Tower. Link was going on and on with stories of when he first woke up here, how everything was so new and weird, activating the towers and trying to fight with nothing but branches. As they walked, Aita noticed building in the distance. It was large and ornate; he’d never been to Hyrule Castle up close, obviously, but that’s how he imagined it might look...of course, like every other remnant of civilization, he could tell it was crumbling. Aita considered asking Link about it, but didn’t want to interrupt his story.

Suddenly, Link stopped talking and stood still. They had walked over a small hill and stood over a series of old, crumbling stone walls. Littering the ruins were multiple decaying guardian husks.

“...I forgot this was here.” Link said, quietly. “C’mon, let’s go around.”

“There’s a monster camp that way, I just saw it.” Aita said. “Aren’t we trying to avoid battles right now?”

Link swallowed hard. He pointed to a few guardians within the abbey. “Those ones, they’re still alive. If we get close, they’ll wake up and they’ll kill us.”

Aita looked. They didn’t seem any different than the other dilapidated guardians. “...We won’t get close then; at least they can’t chase us.” he responded.

Link bit his lip. He hadn’t pulled his eyes from the ruins. Suddenly he was very tense.

“Haven’t you fought guardians before?” Aita responded. “What about that one in Lanayru Wetlands?”

Link shook his head. His voice was low and urgent. “I’ve always avoided them. That one snuck up on me, and I thought I was going to die before you showed up.”

Aita took a deep breath. “C’mon.” he said, and started walking down towards the abbey. “We’ll just walk past, and we’ll go quickly. They won’t see us.” Link hesitated before he followed Aita down towards the walls.

Link stayed close to him and watched the ancient machines intently as they passed. They were silent and still.

Aita stepped in front of a crumbling doorway when they both heard the sound of stone scraping and machinery activating. He looked through the threshold; one of the guardians inside the abbey was coming to life. When it saw him, it lit up in magenta and Aita saw a tiny dot of red light aimed at his chest as the thing took aim. Quickly, he jumped out of the way behind the next stone wall. Its alarm was going off, trying to find him.

Aita looked back at Link. He was pressed against the stone wall, frozen.

“It’s okay!” Aita whispered. “I’m fine, just run across!”

Link looked at the ground separating him from Aita; the space where he would be vulnerable. The alarm was still sounding. 

“Don’t think about it, Link.” Aita assured him. “It’ll only take a second, even if it sees you it won’t have time to attack. Just go!”

Link clenched his fists and closed his eyes, then darted out in front of the stone archway. The guardian’s aiming mechanism went off, sounding another high pitched alarm and leveling its red laser at him. And then in just a moment, Link was safe behind the stone wall again with Aita. They listened in silence until the guardian’s alarm went silent. Together, the two of them carefully escaped, being sure to stay out of its sight again.

 

They made their way to a flat plain with a grove of trees in the distance. “Okay, we’re almost there, now.” Link said. He looked back to see Aita behind him, hands braced against his knees, trying to catch his breath. Link rushed back to him. “Oh no, are you okay Aita?”

“I’m fine…” Aita muttered. His voice was weak again. “Just a little too much, I guess.”

Link frowned. “I’m sorry. I’m supposed to be helping you get better, but you had to coach me through running past a guardian.”

“Don’t worry about it, I said I’m fine.” Aita stood up straight and continued walking. “...I had no idea you were afraid of those.”

He looked defensive, and a bit embarrassed. “Who wouldn’t be?” Link responded. “They’re terrifying.”

“I always thought they were fascinating.” Aita said. “Though, I can’t say I’ve often been on the wrong end of one of their lasers like that.”

“Yeah.” Link said, seemingly lost in thought. “...I think I was, before...way before, you know what I mean? If I were to remember that...I don’t know if I would be less afraid, or more.”

“You faced it anyway, didn’t you? That’s not easy.” Aita remarked.

Link smiled softly towards the ground. “I guess that’s true.” he said. He looked up. “Oh! We’re here.”

In front of them was an old cabin, or a shack, judging by the state of it. It was made of raw logs, mossy stones and a nearly rotting canvas roof. At the entrance was a steel cooking pot over a long since abandoned fire pit.

“...What is this supposed to be?” Aita asked.

“It’s our new hiding spot!” Link said. “We wait here until you’re better and the Yiga Clan calms down, and then we can get back to business.” He walked through the open doorway, Aita followed. Link looked around the interior, moved a few spare logs and rocks to cover holes in the walls. “It’s only a temporary solution, of course.”

“...Link, the Yiga Clan won’t ‘calm down’. They don’t forget about stuff like this, trust me.” Aita said. He let out a deep, tired sigh and sat on the bed, which was more like a bench. “I don’t know how long it will take for me to recover...you have to leave me here.” Aita said.

“What? Why?!” Link protested. “I can’t leave you here alone when you’re sick!”

“You need to return the thunder helm.” Aita looked him straight in the eyes. “The gerudo chief is waiting on you. That whole town is waiting on you to take back Vah Naboris. They can’t wait on me, too.”

Link was conflicted.. “...Tomorrow. I’ll come back to check on you tomorrow.” He said at last.

“Don’t be stupid, come back when you’re done.”

“Three days, then!” Link said. “In three days, Vah Naboris will be freed, and I’ll come back for you, and we’ll leave together..”

Aita laid back on the creaking wooden surface. “...You better.”

Link leaned down and hugged Aita on the cot, to his surprise. “I promise. Stay safe.”

With a solemn wave at the doorway, Link turned and left.

Aita lay there in the silence. Link was gone, he was alone. Of course, he had been alone plenty of times, and it didn’t bother him, not usually. But he had never been this alone before. No purpose to belong to. No orders to follow. No home to return to. No Master Kogha, no Kei or Goro or Eji. No clan. It was just him and this cold, empty plateau. And it terrified him.


	13. The Temple of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita spends 3 days on the Great Plateau waiting for Link to return from Vah Naboris.

Aita’s first night on the plateau was hell. Drifting in and out of sleep, jolting awake at the slightest sound outside the hut, coming to shivering cold or sweating head to toe. The wind blew through the log walls of the shack like it was nothing, and the hard, stiff wooden bench he slept on was hardly comfortable. With every time Aita awoke, he looked out of the gaps in the walls of his shelter; hoping to see at least a glimmer of light on the horizon or any sign that sunrise was near. When at last he saw the sky above the eastern mountains begin to glow yellow and orange, the exhaustion overcame him. He slept into the morning, and when he finally awoke again, the sun was already high above.

Aita stepped outside and looked around. It felt safer during the day, but he would still have to be on his guard. Just because it was easier for the Yiga to attack at night, that didn’t mean that they would chose the easy way.

He was starving. He hadn’t thought to ask Link to leave him anything to eat. Around the hut, he managed to find an apple tree, which was good. He found a pair of pigeons sitting on a log and shot one. And he saw many, many mushrooms. After successfully starting a fire with a bit of flint and his sickle, he could think of nothing better than to just...combine them all together. The meat, the apple and a simple Hylian mushroom (it looked the least weird out of what he could find) all entered the pot.

Aita regarded the meal with disdain. During the time they’d spent together, only Link had cooked and was usually sensitive to Aita’s picky appetite. They had fried bananas often. When Link cooked something new, sometimes Aita would take a bite, but then usually found it unpalatable and turned away the rest. But now, he was really hungry.

He reluctantly tried it. It wasn’t anything special, the apple had sweetened the taste of the meat and the mushroom, but he still found the taste and spongy texture of the fungus to be unenjoyable. Yet, he ate it all, and felt a bit better afterwards.

The rest of the day Aita spent resting. If he couldn’t sleep through the night, he would stay awake through it. He gathered enough wood to stoke the fire under the pot until morning, settled down on the ground with his back to a large, heavy log, and let the sun set.

 

“Aita.” Said the deep, booming voice of the blademaster. “Goro. Kei.”

Aita stepped forward and looked for his new teammates. He was 8 years old, and today he would be entering official training to become a soldier. So far he had only accomplished beginning physical training, along with learning basic academics like reading, writing, history, all sanctioned by his clan. Now, every day for the next 10 years, he would be learning how to fight, and he was scared.

Two other students had stepped forward from the line, a girl and a boy. “You three will be assigned with Blademaster Mora until you reach the midpoint of your training in 5 years.” The blademaster continued. “From there, she will transfer you to another blademaster to complete your training and turn you into footsoldiers. Report to her immediately.”

The trio left while the blademaster called out another group of students.

Aita shyly kept to himself until the boy in his group walked over and lightly punched his arm “We got a girl teacher!” he said with a smile on his face. “She might go easy on us, right?”

“Uh…” Aita responded, rubbing his shoulder where the hit had connected.

“No.” The girl stopped walking and turned around to address them. “She won’t, and I hope you’re not wishing for that. If we don’t get our full training, we won’t ever make it to footsoldiers in time.”

“Well, she would be the judge of that, right?” The boy quipped back. “She can just promote us whenever she wanted.”

“Didn’t you hear? We’re only with her for 5 years.” She said. “That’s the whole point of having two blademasters during our training, to make sure nobody is slacking.”

“...Sheesh, relax. I was just joking.” He said. “If we’re gonna spend the next 10 years together, we should get along. You’re Kei, right? And you’re Aita?”

Aita nodded.

“I’m Goro!” He said. “I think the three of us are going to be friends.”

Kei took a step forward. “I’m not interested in being friends with either of you. You’re a clown, and you’re a timid little mouse.” Aita flinched as she pointed at him. “But until we graduate we’re going to be seen as a singular unit, so you better keep up and not drag me down.” She turned on her heel and continued walking briskly.

“Hmph.” Goro pouted “She’s a real piece of work, huh?”

“Yeah…she’s cool…” Aita said, and started walking after her.

“Huh? W-wait, that’s not what I meant!” Goro said, and followed the two of them.

 

Aita jolted awake as a log split and settled in the fire. He looked around for a brief moment and cursed. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, this damn fever was still messing with him. It was completely dark now but he had no judge of what time it might be.

After a while he felt himself dozing off again, but another sound snapped him back to his senses. Eyes straining past the fire and into the darkness, he reached for his duplex bow and aimed. He heard his two arrows lodge into a nearby tree.

“Come out.” He called. “I know you’re there.”

He waited, trying to hear anything over the crackling of the fire and the breeze through the grass. And then, the sound of a footstep. Soon enough, the stark white of a Yiga Clan mask stood out against the blackness behind it.

“Damn.” A familiar voice said. “I should have just slit your throat while you were napping. There’s no getting the drop on you, is there Aita?”

“What do you want, Goro?” Aita growled

Goro scoffed, and walked closer, ignoring the bow aimed at him. “I’ve come to tell you that your amazing act of courage has inspired me! I want to join you and the hero on your quest to save Hyrule.”

Aita let the arrows loose, purposefully letting them fly past his head.

Goro laughed. “Okay, okay, you got me.” He strode casually over to the fire and sat down. Aita tried to stealthily reach for his sickle, but he noticed. “Should you really be using those, still? The duplex bow and the sickle, I mean. Doesn’t seem right.” Goro said. Aita didn’t respond, and didn’t take his eyes off the footsoldier. 

He drew something from behind his back: a strange circular weapon with spikes around the circumference. “Look what they gave me! It’s called a demon carver.” Goro bragged. As he spoke he played with the weapon, rolling it against the ground, rotating the handle in his hands. The circular blade glinted against the firelight. 

“You know, everyone was really unhappy with what you did. Eji was absolutely pissed, I’ve never seen him that mad in my life. Kei too. She didn’t take it well.”

Aita didn’t move. His bow was still in his hand but he would have to grab another pair of arrows, and he had let Goro get too close. He was worried any movements towards the sickle or his quiver would attract attention. He didn’t know what that new weapon was capable of.

“She ended up leaving, too, the day after you did. Her leg wasn’t even healed yet.” Goro said. “So! There I am, both of my old teammates gone. It hit kinda hard, y’know? I’ve always been supportive of you; helpful, when I can. And that’s because I saw that you had some potential. I thought you were going places. That’s why I stuck around; you always root for the winning team, Aita. So when you pulled that stunt, I was like, shit! What am I supposed to do, now? How the hell am I going to use some shameful defect like you to get up in the ranks?”

Aita went from watching alert, to glaring in anger. He should have guessed. No one in the Yiga Clan is kind just for the hell of it. There’s always a motive. There’s always a trick.

“But!” He lightly punched Aita in the shoulder. “Turns out this was just the opportunity I’ve been waiting for! The whole clan is in shambles; with Master Kohga gone, everyone is just waiting desperately for some kind of symbol, some glimmer of hope. And now, I’m the idol footsoldier! I’m the only member of my group that hasn’t betrayed them! Suddenly everyone’s coming to me, asking me what kind of a person you were and if I could have ever guessed that you’d stab us all in the back.” Goro leaned back on one hand as he turned the demon carver around in the other. “I mean, it’s kinda poetic, isn’t it? Three old friends, two become traitors and the third is left to kill them and get revenge for his people...I think they’ll have to make me the new clan leader someday just so they can tell that story, don’t you think?”

“You failed to ambush me, so you’re trying to bore me to death?” Aita said. “It’s working.”

Goro smirked. “Sure, I guess it doesn’t matter how you die. So long as I can bring your head back and take credit.” He used the demon carver to slap a cloud of burning coals and ash towards Aita. He reeled back, reflexively covering his eyes, but fighting through the sting of the smoke in the air to block Goro’s next attack with his sickle. 

“It’s a cool weapon, isn’t it?” Goro said, pushing against Aita’s sickle with the demon carver. “I haven’t even killed you yet, and I’m already reaping the benefits!”

Aita moved to kick Goro’s legs and disrupt his balance, but he anticipated it and jumped back away from the fire, giving Aita enough time to stand up. As he brought himself to his feet, he heard the quiet firing of a bow and a sharp pain made him flinch and cry out. An arrow was stuck in his thigh.

Just like that, Goro rushed forward again to attack. It was a classic Yiga strategy that they both knew well. Keep moving, alternate between melee with a blade and ranged with a bow. Disable your opponent to make sure they won’t keep up. Aita blocked again, but was forced down to one knee as the pain in his thigh erupted.

Goro disappeared in a cloud of smoke to teleport away and repeat the technique. Aita rushed to pick up his own bow. He saw a flash of light several yards away as Goro reappeared somewhere out among the trees, and leveled his bow to where it was.There was a grunt of pain out in the darkness and after a brief hesitation, another flash of light and smoke.

Aita twisted his body to block an attack from behind him. The red of his uniform hid the color of the blood, but there was tear in the fabric of Goro’s left shoulder where Aita’s arrow hit. He could no longer use his bow, and to compensate, he had planned to teleport behind his target to sink the demon carver into his back. This time, Aita refused to let his injured leg give in.

He broke off the block and pulled the sickle back. In a flash, he threaded the blade through the center of the demon carver, and with a single swing, ripped it from Goro’s hands and sent it flying behind him. Goro was too shocked to react before Aita lunged forward and pushed the Yiga into the dirt, pinning him with the sickle against his neck. With his free hand, he pulled off his mask and cast it aside, and was surprised to see not an expression of anger or fear, but one of dismay.

“...Just come back.” Goro said, quietly. “If you kill the hero, everyone will think it was all some crazy genius plan, they’ll all welcome you. Kei will come back too, she’ll be mad but she’ll forgive you, everyone will.”

Aita was panting. The fever was catching up to him again. “...That’s not happening.” 

“Why not?!” Goro exclaimed. “What’s so great about him? When did he become more important than all of us, huh?! Just what the hell happened to you?!”

Aita stood back up without a word, but held on to the sickle tight in his right hand. He offered his left down to Goro.

Goro stared at Aita’s hand for several seconds. An expression of uneasiness crossed his face, he made a hand signal and was gone in an explosion of red smoke. Aita was left alone, again.

 

The following day and night was a blur. A rainstorm had begun, extinguishing the fire and trapping him inside the hut that only barely kept out the deluge outside. The pain from his injury and his illness in this weather made his head foggy and delirious. In a few moments of clarity he forced himself to pull out the arrow and bandage it with one of the superfluous layers of his Hylian armor. He somehow fell asleep in a position that allowed him to keep pressure on the wound. 

When he awoke again he wasn’t sure if it was morning or evening, the sky was only barely lit, and still full and pouring down. Every surface on the inside of his hut was soaked, the canvas roof had only held up against the first hour or so but now it was as useful as just sitting outside under the clouds. He had to get somewhere dry. His fever would only get worse in these conditions. He racked his mind for ideas; a shrine? No, that would be no better than hiding in a tiny cave. Then he remembered, the large building up on the hill they passed. It was old, probably older than this hut, but it was sturdier. There had to be somewhere in there, somewhere that the roof had not caved in.

He left the hut and headed north. It was a straight shot; he could see the building from there, if not without some difficulty through the rain. He was nearly crawling on his hands and knees and he scaled the grassy hill up to the structure, rain soaking him through. He reached the back wall of the building, and used it to guide him along to its side where a massive chunk of the wall and ceiling had collapsed, but to his relief, the building was otherwise intact. Aita stumbled over some rubble and bricks to reach the shelter inside.

The interior was huge and ornate with vaulted ceilings and tall, delicately crafted stained glass windows, many of which still remained. The ground was coated in a carpet of grass and moss, but he could see places where the dirt receded and revealed smooth, white marble tile. The rain continued to fall outside.

Resting peacefully on a raised dais was a tall stone statue of a woman. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, and two small hands were clasped together in front of her flowing robes. A small pair of feathered wings came from her back, and her expression was one of serenity and happiness. 

Aita dragged himself up to it, climbing the steps and stopping at her feet. Several smaller statues of her surrounded the base.

“...Hey, you.” Aita said, his voice sounded broken. “You’re the Hylian goddess, right? The one they all worship?” he yelled up to the statue over the rain. “Then you’re going to give me some answers! You know everything, right? That’s how gods work?!” 

The statue didn’t respond.

“Why?! Why did I do that?! I threw away everything I’ve worked for, for what? Goro was right, what’s so great about him? What happened to me?!” He yelled. 

Aita paused, and she waited.

“...Who am I supposed to be, now?” he asked, quietly now. “All I’ve ever known is gone, everyone I’ve ever cared about hates me, I...did I make the right choice? What...do I do?”

The statue only stood there, cold and still.

Aita scoffed. “Some goddess.” He layed down at her feet. She was protected from the rain, at least. He was exhausted, and his emotional outburst had drained the last of his energy. Aita closed his eyes, and the sound of the rain faded away.

 

“Aita! Aita wake up, please!”

Aita slowly awoke. There was sunlight in his eyes, and he was being held tightly by someone. He looked up to see Link’s relieved face.

“You’re okay!!” Link let out a short sigh of gratitude. “I’m so happy, I thought you’d actually…”

“Did you beat Vah Naboris?” Aita mumbled.

Link laughed. “That’s what you’re worried about?” Link pulled him close into a hug. “Yeah, I did. Let’s not do that again, okay? Just...come with me.”

Aita blinked in surprise. Would he ever get used to this, he wondered. “...Okay. I’ll go.” Aita said, as if there was any question.

Link let him go and Aita went to stand up. “Wait, my leg…” he felt the spot on his thigh where the arrow had gone in. “It’s...it’s all healed?”

“Yeah, you’re lucky I had a fairy with me.” Link responded. “I found you passed out here, and when I released her she flew right over to your leg and healed you.”

Aita thought for a moment. “...How did you know I’d be here, and not the hut?”

“I don’t know.” Link shrugged. “I just had a feeling, I guess.”

The two stood up and walked out the front entrance. Dead ahead, out in the distance, Aita saw the dark spires of Hyrule castle. Two massive beams of red light were aimed at it from the east and the west; Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris. 

The sunlight on Aita’s face was warm, and the smell of the grass after the rainstorm was strong. A family of birds living high up in the ruins of the old temple sang as Link lead him outside. They walked down the crumbling stairs outside the building, passing multiple decaying guardian husks. 

Aita stopped. To the left of them now was a small lake with a tiny pebble beach. He looked at the glimmering water, and stepped off the stone path, headed towards the water’s edge.

“Aita? Where are you going?” Link called after him, and followed. “Are you feeling okay?”

When Aita reached the beach, he methodically began to remove his armor piece by piece. When he was down to his underwear, he stepped into the shallow water and walked into it, getting deeper and deeper until he could swim forward. 

“...Wow, look at that.” Link remarked. “You can swim, after all.”

“I told you.” He said quietly. Aita floated on his back and closed his eyes. The water was cold, yes, but he could deal with it as long as the sun bearing down on him like this. It was refreshing. Before he even realized that he had gotten in the water too, Link had swam up beside him.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Link asked. “This isn’t really like you.”

Aita took a deep breath, feeling his body float and sink slightly in the water. “Maybe not.” he responded. “But I won’t know what’s really like me if I don’t look. No one’s gonna tell me anymore.”

His eyes were still closed, he didn’t see Link’s face, but his voice sounded peaceful, content. “Yeah.” he said. “Me too, okay? Lets find ourselves together.”


	14. Korok Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita travel to the Great Hyrule Forest following rumors of a powerful, legendary sword.

Link watched as Aita dug into a plate of simmered fruit. “I’m glad to see you’ve got your appetite back.” he said. “It looks like your fever’s passed, huh?”

Aita wiped a bit of syrup from his chin with the back of his hand. “Yeah, I guess so.” he said. It was true, he hadn’t felt weak or ill since they left the plateau. They had traveled a short distance northeast to the Riverside Stable and took a long rest. Now they sat at the crest of Whistling Hill, overlooking the stable to the east, and the ever daunting Hyrule Castle to the northwest. Haran occupied himself with a tasty patch of grass under the trees on the hill while Link and Aita enjoyed the breakfast they had prepared.

“So, where are we going next?” Aita said, putting his empty plate in the grass in front of him.

“Well, there’s two more divine beasts. One’s by Rito Village in Hebra, the other’s climbing around Death Mountain…”

Aita frowned. “You saved the worst for last, huh?”

“Rito Village doesn’t sound bad!” Link said. “Yeah I heard it’s a little cold, but the Rito are really nice. Well, I’ve only met one, actually…”

“Isn’t there any other hero things you can be doing?” Aita asked, resting his chin in his palm. “There’s more than just the divine beasts, right?”

Link stopped to think for a moment. “I guess there is.”

“What’s that?”

“...I remember having this sword.” Link said. He closed his eyes as he concentrated, drawing up the vague memory. “It was a longsword with a blue hilt. The cross guard was kinda geometric, but fancy, like wings…and the blade was perfectly sharp, and always seemed to be shining.”

“Huh. I hate to break it to you, but a sword that expensive left alone for that long? I’m sure someone’s stolen it, either that or its lost and broken in the bottom of a river somewhere.” Aita shrugged.

“No, that’s the thing!” Link said. “I’ve heard some rumors, too. I’ve heard people talk about a legendary weapon, hidden in the forest north of Hyrule Castle.”

“You think that could be it?”

“It’s gotta be! People keep calling me the legendary hero, and other people are talking about a legendary weapon, it had to be mine right?” Link said.

Aita rubbed his chin. “Seems a little presumptuous. Hyrule’s gotta have more legendary things than just your lost personal belongings. Besides, how do you know any of that’s even true?” he said.

“I don’t.” Link sighed. “But, I’d like to check! I don’t remember why, but I know that sword was important to me. Maybe if I can find it, my memories will come back faster, and I’ll get stronger! Then I can get the last two divine beasts easily.”

 

Both atop Haran’s back, the two traveled east a short distance before taking the road north. It would have been faster to travel through central Hyrule, but neither of them wanted to risk getting that close to the castle and its guardians.

By midday they had passed the Lanayru Wetlands; Link reminded Aita of their encounter there. It felt like it was so long ago, now. Everything had changed so quickly, he couldn’t believe he had once been so determined to kill Link, his friend.

They took a break at the Wetland Stable and continued north. Soon enough the red cliffs of the base of Death Mountain loomed over them. They reached the Woodland Stables just before sunset.

Aita waited outside at the river’s edge, stretching his legs and washing his face. Link ran back out to join him, calling out as he slid down the steep bank. “Okay, I got Haran boarded and I got us beds for the night! Do you wanna cook something up to eat before we call it a night?”

Aita was looking downriver towards Hyrule Castle. The thick, spiraling strands of malice floating around it glowed unnaturally in the twilight.

“I’ve never been this close to it before” Aita whispered.

“O-oh.” Link said. “Me neither.”

They stared at it quietly as the last bit of light on the horizon dimmed. Aita shivered. “Ugh, it creeps me out. I thought something must have been wrong with me when I was still in the clan but...Calamity Ganon really is evil, huh?”

“Yeah…” Link responded. 

 

The next morning, they kept north. Link spoke to an old man at the stable who confirmed that the Great Hyrule Forest was near, but warned against entering. They continued regardless. 

“I’m excited to get my sword back.” Link said as they rode the steep path north into the forest.

“You’re getting way ahead of yourself.” Aita said. “You don’t even know if it’s there, much less if it’s actually yours. So far this forest is just looking like a bunch of trees and no swords.”

“It’ll be there.” Link said, assured. “Do you think it’s powerful?”

“I don’t know why they would call it a legendary blade if it wasn’t at least sharp.”

“Haha, I guess so.” Link laughed. “...Maybe once I get it back, I can finally be the hero everyone expects me to be.”

Aita hesitated, concerned. He opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly the air turned cold and a dense fog surrounded them. Haran stopped in his tracks and made anxious noises.

“Wh-what happened?” Aita asked. “I can barely see, where are we?”

Link was trying to sooth Haran, who was now refusing to move forward. “The old man at the Woodland Stable was talking about this! He called it the Lost Woods; if you lose your direction you’ll blackout and wake up outside the forest.”

“And your sword is supposed to be in here somewhere? How are we supposed to look when we can barely see our hands in front of our faces?!”

“I don’t know…” Link said. “But we have to keep going, c’mon Haran!”

The horse dug in his heels and refused to move. Link sighed. “I think we have to go on without him.” They dismounted, and Link gave Haran a pat on the neck. “Thanks for getting us this far, buddy. Sorry to take you somewhere you don’t want to be.” Haran exhaled a puff of air, messing up Link’s hair, before turning around and walking back the way they came.

“Real loyal, huh? That horse is useless.” Aita scoffed. 

“I don’t know, maybe he’s just wiser than us.” Link said, and turned to walk deeper into the fog. Aita stuck close.

Ahead of them was a stone archway, and an orange flickering light. The two of them approached it to find a wooden torch. As they stopped to investigate, a sudden wind kicked up, scattering leaves on the ground and moving the fog around them. Link looked to where the wind was blowing, and saw two more torches in the distance.

“Do you think these outline the trail?” Link said.

“Why would a place called the Lost Woods have a trail?” Aita asked. “Who even lit these?”

They walked past the next torches. At the third, the wind picked up again, changing direction towards two more lights in the distance. 

As they passed these next torches, Aita spotted another in the distance and began walking that direction. Suddenly the fog began to close in, thicker and thicker, until he felt Link’s hand at the back of his collar, pulling him back. He fell backwards. The fog had returned to its normal density.

“What?! What was that, what happened? I was just going to the next torch-” Aita explained, when he noticed another torch to his left, much closer.

“Aita, it’s not just the torches, its the wind, look!” he pointed up to the fire. Small burning embers were flying off, in the direction of the closer flame. “It hasn’t been arbitrarily changing direction, it’s blowing in the way we need to go.”

Link helped Aita to his feet and they continued, stopping at the fires and making a note of where the embers were pointing them. Finally, they came to a pair of them, side by side, with not a flicker of firelight to be seen past.

“Is this the end of the trail? Where do we go now?” Aita asked.

Link looked around. There was a portable torch laying on the ground. He picked it up and lit it in fire. “We just have to keep following the wind. Just keep your eyes on the embers.”

They walked, keeping the wind at their backs. When they felt a shift, they turned and walked in the direction of the breeze. They jumped at the sound of a crow taking flight, a startled deer running away, the crack of a branch under foot. The trees around them were gnarled and old, sometimes seeming to twist into grimacing faces just beyond the edge of their vision.

“Link, I don’t like this, I can’t see anything!” Aita whispered. “How do you know someone isn’t just messing with us, making us walk in circles?”

Link didn’t respond. He was looking at the burning torch in his hands, concentrated. 

“Are you listening? Lets just turn back, I don’t want to be trapped in this forest forever!” He said.

“Aita, just trust me.” Link replied quietly, not breaking his eyes away from the fire. They stopped as the wind changed direction, and turned to follow it again. “I know it’s here, I need to find it. You told me I have to stop running away. And I don’t know why but...if I can find my old sword, it’ll make me strong again!”

“Swords don’t make people strong, Link.” Aita said. “They’re just tools, it won’t change anything.”

“This one will.”

They kept walking until they came to a narrow canyon where two mossy cliffs met. Link took a deep breath, and entered.

“Do you hear that?” Link said. There was a quiet bird song, the first they’d heard besides hoarse crow calls. Aita looked down and noticed a soft carpet of pink petals covering the forest floor. When he looked up, the fog was cleared.

Ahead of them was a large, hollowed log, forming a tunnel. Suddenly, they heard a high pitched voice.

“He’s here! Mr. Hero is here!”

Above them, a small wooden creature was floating down from the treetops holding a spinning, leaf propeller. As they watched it descend in awe, more of them popped out from the branches and shrubs and rushed down to see their visitors.

“Mr. Hero has come for the Master Sword!”

“He brought a friend!”

“Hooray, he’s finally here!”

Aita looked around in shock and confusion as the little wooden creatures surrounded them in their excitement. “L-Link? Just what are these things, how do they know you?” he whispered.

Link regarded the group with a confused smile, until he seemed to recall. “Oh! You’re the koroks, right? I’ve seen a few of you hiding around Hyrule! I didn’t know this forest was your home.”

This drew a tiny cheer from the crowd. “Mr. Hero remembers us!” “Wake the Great Deku Tree, he’s here!” “Follow us Mr. Hero, we’ll take you to the Master Sword!” The group of Koroks began moving, waddling along on their tiny legs with a jingling noise, or floating along on their little leaf helicopters through the log tunnel.

“M-Master Sword? You know where my sword is?” Link asked, and he and Aita ran after the group. 

On the other side of the log was a rich, lush forest. The ferns, grass and flowers were tall and untouched, blooming and full of life. The sunlight filtered through the branches above, including that of the colossal old tree blooming with pink flowers. Aita looked around in awe while Link was distracted by the Korok’s parade; he’d never seen so much green in his life. 

The koroks led them down a cracked stone path and then they all scattered, taking position to watch in the trees and bushes around them. Link stopped, his gaze centered on what was ahead. 

It was a triangular stone platform, surrounded by white flowers. In the center was a stone pedestal...and a sword with a blue hilt. The blade glimmered in the sunlight as if it were brand new.

Aita stopped behind Link, looking at the beautiful weapon. “Is...is that it?” He whispered. Without a word, Link stepped up onto the platform. Spellbound, he quietly raised his hands and placed them around the grip.

Then suddenly, Link gasped and stumbled backwards as if he had been pushed away by some invisible force, clutching his head in pain. Aita was about to call out to him, worried, but he was interrupted by a deep, booming voice.

“So, you’ve finally decided to return.” The two of them looked up. They saw now the enormous ancient tree in front of them had a face resembling an old man. “Better late than never. After 100 years, I’d nearly given up hope of seeing you again.” 

“Um, I’m sorry.” Link said, trying to compose himself again. “I didn’t know that you were waiting for me…”

“And, who is this?” It said. Though Aita could not see any eyes on its trunk, he felt a pointed gaze on him. “I didn’t expect you to bring a guest. Tell me, friend of the hero, can you see the children of the forest around you?”

Aita looked around to the Koroks. They were still there, watching in anticipation. “Y-yes?” He replied, hesitant.

“How interesting. Not many still live that can see the magical guardians of Hyrule; the koroks, the dragons, the Lord of the Mountain and his underlings...It used to be that all could see us, but over time, their vision has dimmed. Perhaps it’s no wonder that the Hero is so drawn to you.”

Link shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but...who are you?” he asked. 

“...So you have no memory of me. I suspected as much.” The tree said. “I have watched over Hyrule since time immemorial. Many have referred to me over the ages as The Great Deku Tree...and for the past century, I have been watching over that weapon you see before you, as well. The Master Sword was created by the ancient Goddess.” The Great Deku Tree explained. “The sword that seals the darkness. Only the chosen knight can wield it against the Calamity Ganon...that chosen knight was you, Link. It is rightfully yours.”

Link looked down to the weapon in awe and reached for it again, but the Deku Tree spoke. “I must warn you. This is no ordinary blade; it is alive. It demands to only be used by its true master, and stands as a test to anyone who would dare to possess it. As you are now...I cannot say if you are worthy or not.”

“What do you mean, worthy or not?” Aita said. “It’s his sword, isn’t it?”

“...It may be difficult to accept, but the Hero has been weakened by his century’s sleep. He possesses just a small fraction of his former power. If he lacks the strength to match the Master Sword’s expectations, it will kill him where he stands.”

Aita looked over to Link. He looked nervous, ashamed. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Aita asked. “You could...die.”

Link closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “...Yes.” he said. “This was my sword, and I’m still the same person I was back then! This is the only way I’ll be strong enough to save everyone, I need it.”

Aita was silent as Link raised his hands again, grabbed the hilt, and pulled. The pedestal began to glow as he remained firm. The blade budged, only slightly. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, his arms were trembling from the effort, and the pain. 

“Link…!” Aita said, but he continued. His legs were shaking now, looking as if they were going to give out. His face looked pale, and he was breathing heavily. The sword budged again.

“Enough!” The Great Deku Tree’s booming voice echoed through the forest, forcing Link to let go of the hilt and fall to his knees. Aita rushed onto the platform to be with him. 

“You would have lost your life if you hadn’t let go when you did.” The Great Deku Tree spoke solemnly. “You have grown weak. Prepare yourself before returning here to try again. Next time, I will not stay your hand to spare your life.”

“Give him a break, will you?” Aita said, angrily. “Just let him have the dumb sword already!”

“No…” Link said, voice quiet and shaky. “It’s not up to him.” He raised his head and looked into the blade, his face reflected on the polished surface. “...I’m not worthy anymore.”

The koroks began to come out of their viewing spots to gather around the pedestal. One approached and gently touched Link’s arm. “Mr. Hero, we have provided a bed and food for you in case this happened! Please, rest here before you depart again, let us care for you…”

Aita helped Link to his feet and supported him as they walked under the thick, twisting roots of the Great Deku Tree, up inside it's trunk. Inside was a small room with a pot over a fire, a bed made of branches and leaves, and a few tiny shops. The Koroks led Link over to the bed where he laid down with a groan, while Aita tried not to think about how they were inside the Great Deku Tree’s body. He decided to make Link something to eat instead.

“So, what have you got?” Aita asked to one of the Koroks. 

“This is the Spore Store!” It replied cheerfully. “We have any delicious mushroom you could ever need!”

Aita walked to the other Korok. Placed on one of the leaves surrounding it was a pink vegetable, he picked it up and looked at it. “What’s this? Some kind of apple?”

“That’s a hearty radish, sir!” The Korok replied. “Please take it, I don’t need rupees, especially if you’re going to use it to help the hero.”

Aita thanked the Korok and walked over to the fire. He didn’t have a clue where to start. He looked over to Link, and noticed he’d left his bag at the food of the bed. He got up and began to look through it. 

It had to have been magic somehow, holding way more than it seemed from the outside. There was a small leather bound notebook. Aita remembered Link looking through it when he’d cook. He thumbed through; it was a series of recipes, either copied or created by himself. He read the most recent page:

Creamy Heart Soup- found in Gerudo Town; Ashai’s cooking class.  
Key Ingredients:  
-Hydromelon  
-Voltfruit  
-Hearty Radish  
-Fresh Milk  
Notes: Surprisingly sweet, but very healthy! Maybe it’ll convince him to eat something besides desserts. Try to find a Big Hearty Radish to make the best impression.

The recipe continued from there. Aita put down the journal and looked back in the bag. Eventually, he found some slices of hydromelon, a voltfruit, and a bottle of milk, chilled by a bundle of ice arrows. He took them out. Preparing the ingredients with one of Link’s swords, he carefully followed the recipe. At the end, he had a pot filled with sweet smelling pink stew, with heart shaped slices of radish floating in it. Aita dished up two wooden bowls and walked over to the bed where Link was resting.

“Hey, I made food.” He said, holding out a bowl. “Eat up.”

Link propped himself up. When he saw the soup, his eyes widened. “You made this?” he asked quietly, taking the bowl. 

“Yeah, I found your recipe book. And I followed it exactly so if it’s bad, it’s your fault.” He sat at the foot of the bed.

Link sat up. “I was waiting to make this for you, actually...since you don’t cook, I would have never guessed you’d make it for me, first.” He raised the spoon to his lips and tasted it. “Aita, this is really good! You did a great job.”

Aita took a sip himself. The sweetness of the hydromelon and the tangy flavor or the voltfruit were nicely complimented with the spice of the radish, and the milk absorbed the flavors well, blending them to a nice and mild creamy mixture. “Yeah, I did.” Aita said, and took another spoonful. 

Link looked down into his lap. “...I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dragged you here. I should have been a better judge of my strength.”

“You didn’t know the sword was going to be picky. I’ve never seen a weapon that cared about who was wielding it, before.” Aita took a bite out of a radish slice. “And who cares about what a sword thinks about you anyway. It's just a sharp piece of metal, so what?”

“But it was mine…” Link said, exasperated. “It’s the only thing that would have given me a chance against Ganon and...I don’t deserve to wield it anymore.”

Aita frowned, a little annoyed. “That dumb old tree was its babysitter for 100 years, what difference does a little longer make? Even you aren’t worthy now, you will be.”

Link looked up at him. 

“Like I said before; a sword isn’t gonna make you stronger, even if it was made by a goddess.” He continued. He felt like Kei’s words were coming through his mouth. “The only way to get stronger is by working your ass off. Nothing is going to do it for you, no one is going to help you.”

Link smiled. “What about you? Aren’t you helping me?” he asked.

“I can’t make you strong, but I can get you back on track at least.” He said. “Now hurry up and eat. I know Death Mountain is closer to us, but I can’t say I’m feeling up to burning alive...how’s Rito Village sounding about now?”

“It sounds like a plan.” Link said, and took another spoonful of soup.


	15. Ancient Columns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita and Link travel to the Tabantha Frontier to reach Rito Village. Link's memories strike up a conflict with Aita.

Link and Aita both agreed that the fastest and safest route to Rito Village from the Woodland Stable would be to head west, following the road to Rauru Hillside. But, instead of taking the same road south from there down to the castle, they would leave the road and continue to head west and go just north of Hyrule Castle. From there, they would cross the Irch Plain and reconnect with the road that would take them south, and then west into the Tabantha Frontier. As usual, they woke up early one morning, ate breakfast, and both headed out atop Haran’s back.

The two were quiet as they passed the castle. Though they were separated from it by a wide moat, the swirling, glowing malace seemed close enough to reach out and touch them if they weren’t careful.

“Aita,” Link said quietly, subconsciously steering Haran slightly further from the castle. “You mentioned before, something about not knowing Ganon was evil? Is that a Yiga thing? The Yiga Clan likes Ganon, right?”

Aita thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t say it's so much about liking Ganon as much hating the Royal Family.” he replied, matching Link’s hushed tones. “It kinda became like that over the years, but I think in the beginning we just turned to Ganon out of spite.”

“Spite, huh.” Link said “I remember Impa telling me something about that. She said that when the Sheikah still used their powerful magic, the people of Hyrule shunned them. Most of the Sheikah decided to cast off their magic and live simple lives, but a portion of them resented Hyrule, and they became the Yiga Clan. Is that right?”

“Ha! Is that the Sheikah version? Of course she’d leave out the good parts.” Aita laughed. “The Sheikah were devoted to serving the royal family, and you know what they did? The royal family betrayed them. Some of the Sheikah refused to just take it lying down, so they left! They were so angry, they decided to serve Ganon instead. They were the ones that became the founders of the Yiga Clan.”

“Wow...what did the royal family do to them?”

“Who knows, that was thousands of years ago.” Aita said. “Anyway, no one cares about that anymore. I think everyone in the clan these days only cares about what Master Kohga wants- er, wanted.”

“I see.” Link said. “So, you don’t think you have any, like...lingering resentment for the royal family, do you?”

Aita scoffed. “Of course not, I’m not in the Yiga Clan anymore, I’ve moved past all that.” He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Do you think I’d leave the Yiga Clan to be the partner of the ‘legendary hero’ if I still believed all that stuff?”

“Partner?” Link said.

“Sure, I’d say we’re partners. Traveling together, fighting monsters, finding magical swords. We’re adventure partners, Link.”

“Oh!” Link smiled. “Okay, partner.”

 

Around noon, they had made it comfortably past Hyrule Castle and on to the Irch Plain. They stopped to allow Haran to drink some water from a pond while Link and Aita stretched their legs.

“Look at all the wildflowers blooming, Aita!” Link said. He squatted down in the grass and ran his hand through the blooms, feeling the petals. “We should travel off the road more often, it’s so pretty out here.”

Aita looked back up to the castle that still dominated the view. “It’d be prettier without that eyesore.”

Link looked up from the flowers towards the castle. “Yeah, that’s-” He trailed off, and stood up.

“...Something wrong?” Aita asked.

Link’s voice was quiet, mumbling. “Something...something’s familiar…” He grabbed the Sheikah Slate, opened the album and began to cycle through the pictures. Aita took a step closer to see the screen. Link opened an image; it was the view from where they were standing now, but clearly lacking the distinct black aura surrounding the castle.

“That looks a little better!” Aita said, leaning over to study the image on the slate in Link’s hands. “The castle itself is still a little gaudy though, if you ask me. What about you, Link...Link?”

Link was staring off towards the castle, face blank, consumed in his own thoughts. Aita waved a hand in front of his face. “Hello, Link? You there?”

Suddenly Link gasped and snapped back to reality. “Ah, Aita!” he exclaimed. “I just remembered something!”

“What? What do you-”

“I was right here, 100 years ago, with the princess!” he said, excitedly. “She was taking pictures of the flowers for her research! And, oh, I don’t see any silent princesses around, but I have before! A lot of them, she’ll be so glad to hear that.”

“Link, slow down, I-”

“And then, hah,” he laughed to himself. “The frog! She was so funny! And super smart too; oh! Her lab was nearby, c’mon!” Link took off running in the other direction. 

“Wait, Link! Hold on a second!” Aita ran off after him, trying to get him to stop. 

Link ran a short distance across the plain, until cresting a small hill and seeing the crumbling remains of a few old stone walls. Link stopped and caught his breath.

“Oh, yeah…” He said. “I guess it’s been totally destroyed since then…”

“Link!” Aita called out, catching up to him. “What the hell is going on, what are you doing?”

“Aita, s-sorry!” Link said. “I guess I got a little excited, I remembered something about Princess Zelda!”

“Yeah, I figured!” Aita said, annoyed. “Don’t just run off like that, we left Haran behind.”

“Oh, you’re right…” Link whistled and soon enough Haran came galloping over. Link hopped on his back. “Let’s get going, okay? Sorry for getting us sidetracked.”

 

They rode further south until they connected again with one of Hyrule’s roads, then went through a series of strange rock formations called the Breach of Demise. The stone outcrops often covered the road, making it almost claustrophobic at points. Aita was thinking about earlier.

“So, what was the princess like?” He asked.

Link perked up at the mention of her. “Oh, she’s wonderful! She’s really smart and nice, brave, determined...” He said.

“Hm.” Aita responded flatly. “Anything else?”

“Well, I…I don’t really remember that much about her, to be honest.” Link admitted. “I just remember little moments every once in a while, like snapshots of all the time we spent together.”

“...You spent a lot of time with her?” Aita said. 

“Of course! I was tasked with protecting her, so I wasn’t allowed to leave her side for one moment; or, so I’ve gathered. I don’t think I minded it though.”

“You sure? I would have been bothered, if I were you.” Aita replied. “Think of all the stuff you could have been doing instead of following her around Hyrule.”

“...I don’t think I would have rather been doing anything else.” Link said, an edge of annoyance to his voice.

“But you don’t remember, you could have not liked it, right?” Aita persisted.

Link was quiet for a moment. Aita couldn’t see his face. “So, what does the Yiga Clan think of Zelda?” he asked calmly.

“Link, that has nothing to do with-”

“Sure. I’m just curious.” Link interrupted.

Aita hesitated, biting his lip. “The Yiga Clan thought…” he began. “They thought she was selfish, and greedy, that she was cruel and didn’t care about her people-”

“Well just so you know, that’s completely untrue.” Link said. “Zelda cares more about Hyrule and the people here than anyone I’ve ever known. The Yiga Clan doesn’t know her at all.”

“...Right.” Aita said, quietly.

 

It was starting to get late as they entered the Seres Scablands. They found the remains of an old building just south of the road, enough to provide shelter for the night. It was inhabited by moblins and bokoblins when they found it, but together they whittled down the group until they had the shelter to themselves. Link started a fire and roasted some fruits and vegetables for an easy meal. They sat quietly as they ate.

“You’re mad at me.” Aita said, breaking the silence.

Link sighed. “No, I’m just...I’m upset that I was excited about something today and you kinda blew me off.”

“I didn’t blow you off, I was just trying to get us back on track.” Aita said. “And you asked what the Yiga Clan thought about the princess, so I told you.”

Link was quiet for a moment. “...I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He laid down next to the fire, turning away from Aita to sleep. For some reason, Aita didn’t feel like the issue was any more resolved.

 

The following morning when Aita woke up, Link was already awake and preparing Haran for the day. He turned as Aita sat up and went to put his boots on.

“Hey, let’s just forget about yesterday, alright?” Link said. “We’ve still got a ways to go until Rito Village, it’s only gonna be longer if we’re arguing the whole way.”

“Oh, good.” Aita said. “I couldn’t agree more.” 

They continued west past the Seres Scablands until they reached the Tabantha Bridge Stable several hours later and decided to take a short break.

“Ugh…” Aita groaned after dismounting Haran. “My ass hurts, we’ve been on that horse for ages.”

Link was feeding Haran some carrots. “If you'd like, we can board him here and walk for a while. I’m sure he'd appreciate a day off since he’s having to carry both of us.”

Aita agreed, he was used to walking everywhere, anyway. They carefully crossed the Great Tabantha Bridge on foot. Rito Village was close. From here on the bridge they could easily see it jutting out from the horizon on a tall stone spire; and they saw the mechanical bird, Vah Medoh, circling above it like a vulture.

At the other side, Link stopped Aita from continuing forward. “Wait…” he said, and pointed to the ravine where the road passed through ahead. “What is that?!”

A good distance up ahead, flying on four spinning propellers, was a machine. It was glowing red and scanning the ground below it with a single, pulsating robotic eye. “Is that a guardian?” Link muttered.

“That's incredible, I didn't know that they could fly!” Aita said.

“Incredible is one word for it.” Link said, mortified. He looked around, and then pointed to the left side wall of ravine. “It looks like we can climb up there, if we can walk along the top of that cliff, we can just go right over the guardian. Think you can handle that?”

Aita scoffed and started making his way towards the cliff. “Please, I did more difficult things on my first day of training.” 

The two of them climbed up the cliff, stopping to wait for each other while resting, but getting a little competitive and silently racing at the same time. In the end, it was Aita that made it to the top first.

“Ha! I told you it’d be easy!” he said, and offered a hand down to help Link up over the edge.

Link laughed and took his hand. “Okay okay! Sorry for doubting you.” he climbed up and sat on the edge of the dropoff to catch his breath. “Wow, what a view…”

Beneath them was the long and deep Tanagar Canyon. To the right, the red, snow covered flat tops of the Gerudo Highlands, to the left, the sharp and jagged peaks of Hebra, and all of Hyrule in between. 

“Is that Death Mountain?” Aita said, and pointed to a lump on the horizon. “We were there, just days ago...”

“Yeah, we've come a long way.” Link said. He shielded his eyes from the sun and pointed at something tiny in the distance, the source of a faint red laser aimed at Hyrule Castle. “I think that’s Vah Ruta, too! Man, that feels like it was ages ago.”

“Yeah...yeah it does.” Aita said. What a different person he was back then...he was different, wasn’t he? His circumstances had changed, of course, it’s reasonable to say that he’d changed as a person too, he thought. After all, he was only trying to kill the hero by orders. Everyone was. But he was the only one that learned differently, the only one that learned what was right. The rest of the Yiga were still trapped in their ignorance, like he used to be. He was no longer Aita, poor and brainwashed Yiga footsoldier, he was the hero’s friend, the hero’s partner on his adventure.

“Oh, hey!! It’s a shrine!” Link said, Aita turned around. He didn’t know how they missed it coming up, it was nestled right by the edge of the cliff among several old marble columns.

“You want me to wait out here while you go in?” Aita asked, walking around to the front side with Link.

“Yeah, it should only take a-” Link cut himself off when he reached the sealed entrance. He frantically reached for the Sheikah Slate and again, scrolled through the album until he found a photo of a shrine with scattered columns around it, and Vah Medoh soaring above in the background; this very same location. Link went silent.

“Wh-Link? This again?” Aita said. He snapped his fingers by Link’s ear. “Hello?! C’mon!”

Link gasped and came back to reality, but instead of excitedly yammering on to Aita about the memory, he just blinked, and cast his gaze down to the base of the shrine.

“...I don’t understand.” he muttered. “Did I do something wrong...?”

“Link? Heeeyy?” Aita said, still trying to get his attention. “Did you have another princess daydream?”

“I doesn’t make sense, why can’t I sort these memories out?” He said, and ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. “Why was she so mad at me? I thought she liked spending time with me, did something happen? And when?”

“What, she got mad at you for no reason?” Aita said, and smirked. “So much for ‘nice’ and ‘caring’, huh?”

Aita nearly flinched from the glare that Link shot him.

“Is that what this is about for you?” Link said, coldly. “Trying to convince me that Zelda is the horrible person that the Yiga Clan told you she is? Can’t you see that I’m upset enough?”

“Wh, I...I thought you were upset with her!” Aita said. “She’s the one that got mad at you; you remembered her here and then got all depressed, I was just trying to make you feel better!”

“Maybe she had a good reason to be mad at me, I don’t know!” Link retorted. “But I do know that she was my friend, and whatever happened between us, we talked about it and worked through it! And I don’t appreciate you saying awful things about her.”

“I wasn’t!” Aita said.

“You were! This is the same thing that you did last night. I told you how I was feeling, I told you how what you said hurt me, and you just deny it and make me feel like I’m overreacting. But every time Zelda comes up, you start acting weird and passive aggressive, like I’m somehow wrong for wanting to remember her again!” Link argued. 

“What am I supposed to do then?” Aita began to raise his voice. “Am I supposed to not defend myself?”

“No!” Link shouted. “You can start by apologizing and admitting you’re still living off of all the backwards things the Yiga lied to you about! How can you think she was a monster when I’m telling you that she was my best friend?!”

“Because if she’s your best friend, where the hell does that leave me?!” Aita shouted without thinking.

Link was taken aback for a moment, and Aita turned away from him in angry embarrassment. 

“Aita, are you…” Link said, calmly. He didn’t finish the thought, and moved on. “No matter what I remember about Zelda, that won’t change anything between us. We’re still partners.”

Aita was quiet.

“I want to remember Zelda, I want to remember everything about my past.” Link continued, and pointed out towards Vah Medoh in the sky. “I used to know the guy that piloted that, but I don’t anymore. I want to remember him, just like I remembered Mipha, and Urbosa...and I want to remember the Goron that piloted the divine beast on Death Mountain, and Impa and Purah when they were young, too! And I want to remember Zelda. And when you make me feel like I’m silly for wanting to remember those things, even if you didn’t mean to it...it hurts. And then instead of apologizing, you just...denied it all.”

Aita stared at the ground for a few seconds. He wasn’t used to this. “...You’re right, I’m sorry.” he said at last. “I guess...I guess I still have a lot of stuff that I need to unlearn.”

“It’s alright.” Link said, and absentmindedly kicked a pebble. “I’m sorry for getting worked up, the emotions from that memory must have just carried me away.”

“Hah, no I needed it.” Aita said. “So, are you gonna do this shrine, or not?”

Link looked back at the structure. “I think I’ll just come back and do it later. I’d rather we just kept going.” He stepped up on the platform to activate it as a teleportation point, placing the Sheikah Slate on the pedestal to the right. At contact, the shrine lit up in blue, and the doors opened. Link sighed, and the two of them continued on.


	16. Rito Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita arrive in Rito Village to take on the Divine Beast Vah Medoh.

By mid morning the following day, Aita and Link crossed the Kolami Bridge and continued north through a narrow pass, until their view opened up to the tall, asymmetrical tower of Rito Village. Vah Medoh loomed overhead as it flew, the sound of its gears and machinery echoing quietly through the valley. Aita felt a twinge of intimidation; he’d never been this close to a divine beast in full view, and wasn’t expecting it to be quite so big. Link, on the other hand, let out a shout of excitement about finally arriving, and started running down the steep hill towards the bridge into the village.

As they approached the Rito Stable near the entrance,, Aita heard a familiar sound. Before he could acknowledge it, Link eagerly exclaimed “Kass!” and turned the corner to the front of the stable. 

There was a tall blue bird playing an strange instrument. When he saw Link approaching, he stopped playing and greeted him.

“Link!” the Rito said. “Always a pleasure to see you, my friend. Oh, and who is this?”

“This is Aita, we’re traveling together!” Link said. “Aita, this is my friend Kass! He’s the Rito I told you about.”

“Hello. I’ve seen you before.” Aita said. “We didn’t talk, but I listened to your music for a bit.”

“Did you now? Well, thank you kindly. I hope you found it enjoyable.” Kass said with a smile. 

“Hey Kass, isn’t this your home?” Link said, and gestured towards the tower. “We were just heading in, why don’t you come with us?”

“Ah, I thank you for the offer Link, but I can’t.” Kass replied. “I made a promise to my teacher, and I swore to myself that I would not return home until I fulfilled that promise. Though, I suppose I get so homesick I often find myself favoring this location over others.”

“What kind of a promise?” Link asked.

“That I would play his songs, so that they might help to guide the hero on his quest.” Kass said. “In short, I promised him that I would play for you, Link.” Link smiled and blushed. “And what about you, young Aita? What is the purpose of your journey, if I may ask?” Kass said.

Aita thought for a moment. He couldn’t very well tell the Rito ‘I defected from the Yiga Clan and I just like traveling with him.’ What could he say? Did he have a real reason to be here?

“I’m...helping Link.” He said finally. The words felt unsubstantial as he said them.

“A noble cause.” Kass said. “I suppose we both have the same goals, in that sense. Speaking of which, Link, I imagine you’re here to take care of Vah Medoh, aren’t you?”

Link looked up in the sky towards the flying behemoth. “Yeah...Do you have any advice?” he asked.

“I’m afraid not. We Rito can’t even approach it, much less take it on ourselves.” Kass replied solemnly. “If anyone approaches, it shoots them down...not to mention the air currents in this area have become terribly unpredictable; I’ve had to walk here, actually. Perhaps you should talk to Harth or Teba; I would consider those two to be our village’s greatest warriors. If it meant grounding Vah Medoh, they would be eager to assist you.”

Link thanked Kass for the tip, gave him a quick hug, and the two of them walked towards the village. It was on an island, wrapped around a tall tower in the center of Lake Totori, accessible to Hylians only through a series of rope bridges suspended between smaller islands that rose from the lake below. Link leaned over the sides to the water below, Aita told him to stop that and be more careful. Just on the other side of the lake they could see the snow covered ground of Hebra, that water must be freezing.

This place was beautiful though, Aita had to admit. Peaceful, quiet. The conifer forests were dense, and the cool breeze from the mountains kept the air clear and fresh. They passed the entrance to the village and began the ascent up the winding staircase.

They reached a general store and Link ran in excitedly. “Look Aita, they have tabantha wheat, and cane sugar! We can make fried bananas again!”

Aita smiled. “They also have goat butter, we can make hot buttered apples.”

Link’s face lit up. “Why don’t we make something different? How about a pie or a cake or something?”

“Uhh, maybe.” Aita said. He wasn’t quite sure what a pie or a cake was. 

Link purchased the items and they walked further up until they came to a clothing store. Something inside caught Link’s eye and entered, approaching a mannequin with a plush looking tunic. Link reached up and patted the fur collar.

“You interested in that?” The Rito behind the register said. “We call that a Snowquill Tunic, you’ll be needing it if you have plans to climb the Hebra Mountains. That’s what most Hylians come here for.”

“It looks so cozy…” Link said, admiring the soft coat. 

The clerk laughed. “It is! It’s just like having a coat of feathers, like us. You want it?”

“How much?” Link asked. 

“The tunic itself is 600 rupees, but if you want the whole set, I’ll come to 2,150.”

Link groaned dramatically and looked in his wallet. “...I’m down to just 300, I spent so much on food...do you have anything, Aita?”

“Oh, um.” Aita felt around in his pockets. “...I’ve got 30 rupees.”

Link sighed. “I don’t have anything to sell, either...oh well, I’ll have to come back for it. In the meantime I guess we’ll just have to make some elixirs to keep us warm, huh? If we even need to go to the Hebra Mountains, anyway.”

“Sorry, I wish I could help.” Aita said.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not your responsibility to be my bank.” Link laughed. “We’ll just have to do some treasure hunting or something when we leave here. C’mon, lets cook some stuff!”

They found a fire and a cooking pot in the next structure. Aita cringed as he watched Link prepare some horrible concoction of warm darner dragonflies and monster remains.

“It’d be nice to live somewhere like this, wouldn’t it?” Link said, ignoring Aita’s disgusted expression. 

“I don’t know. It’s a little cold for my taste.” Aita replied, turning away from the pot so he didn’t have to look at the nasty brew.

“No, I mean in a village.” Link said. “It’s so peaceful, and everyone is always so nice. I think I’d like to just stay on one place, for a while.”

“Really? I didn’t think you were the type to want to settle down.” Aita responded.

“Well, It’s not that I don’t like to travel, and I wouldn’t even say I’m tired of it yet but...I guess I’m just curious what it would be like to live a normal, quiet life.”

“Hm...you know, I just realized that this is the first village I’ve ever been in, without a disguise.” Aita said. “In Hateno, I just felt paranoid that someone would see through me but...it’s nice to be around other people and not have to have an act.”

Link smiled. “That’s great! You’re living as your true self!” As Link ladled the elixir into an empty bottle, Aita wondered what that meant; his true self. “Now, how about we make some apple pie with the new ingredients we bought?”

Aita looked into the pan at the remnants of the elixir. “Actually, I’m not hungry.” He said, spotting a dragonfly wing stuck to the edge. “Some other time.”

 

The continued upwards along the spiral staircase, when they heard an argument.

“Harth, don’t be a fool!”

“I can’t let Teba go back up there alone! I’m fine, I can handle it.” 

“Saki is right, Harth. You need to rest, if you don’t let your wing heal properly you may never fly again.”

Aita and Link turned the corner. They had arrived at the top of the village and saw a male rito with black feathers, a female with lavender feathers, and a larger and wider Rito with a long, braided beard.

“The moment Teba comes back here, you think I’m just going to let him go and get himself in the same situation you’re in, or worse? He’s going to stay on the ground if I have anything to say about it!” Saki, the female Rito continued. 

Link stepped forward and spoke over the argument. “Excuse me!” He said, and approached the black Rito. “You’re Harth, right?”

“That’s right, who’s asking?” He was holding his wing in an awkward way.

“I was told to talk to you, I need help to board Vah Medoh.”

“Hmph.” Harth scoffed. “Good luck.”

“You see, Harth and my husband, Teba…” Saki began. “They already tried to approach Vah Medoh against Chief Kaneli’s wishes, and look where that got them.” She said with a glare towards Harth. “Teba escaped without injury but Harth won’t tell us where he went...apparently he plans on trying again, alone.”

“I don’t know why you’re telling all this to an outsider anyway, Saki.” Harth said. “He’s just a Hylian, he doesn’t even have the ability to get close to Vah Medoh.”

“Now, hold on a moment…” Kenali, the larger Rito stepped forward, stroking his beard. “That tunic you’re wearing...that’s the same design that Master Revali used to wear. Tell me, are you the descendant of the Hylian champion?” 

Link looked at Aita “...Yeah.” he said after a moment. “His descendant.”

The three Rito exchanged looks. “...You see, we were told that only a champion could board the divine beasts. Master Revali left no descendants, but perhaps...you might stand a chance...”

“We’re running out of options. Every day that Vah Medoh stays up there is another day that it’s too dangerous to fly.” Saki said. “Harth, please, tell him where Teba is.”

Harth looked out towards Hebra before he responded quietly. “...I’m not convinced...but Teba is at the Flight Range. If you can convince him, I’ll be right behind you.”

“No, you won’t!” Saki said. “You’re going to rest and let your wing heal.” She turned to Link. “Please, go talk to my husband. The Range is at the base of the Hebra Mountains, just a short flight from Revali’s Landing, that platform there.” She pointed to a deck behind them, but suddenly stopped and looked worried. “O-oh, my mistake, you’re Hylians...by foot it’s maybe a half a day trip? Oh dear, I hope Teba hasn’t decided to take on Vah Medoh by himself by then.”

Aita and Link headed back down the stairs. When they passed the landing that Saki had mentioned, Aita stopped.

“Link, hold on.” He said. “Just fly there, you have your paraglider.”

“But...then you couldn’t come with me?” Link said. 

Aita shrugged. “If it’s as serious as these Rito are making it out to be, you should get there quickly instead of letting me drag you down. Besides, I don’t think I could stomach that elixir you were making, I’d rather just freeze.”

“I said I didn’t want to leave you behind, again.” Link said, frowning. “I know you can’t come with me on the divine beast, but…”

“There’s a big difference between me staying in a tiny village alone and staying on an empty plateau. I’ll be fine.” Aita said. “...I just wish I could be more of use to you.”

Link sighed and looked out onto the platform. Then, a look of concentration came over his face, an expression that Aita was familiar with by now.

“Did you remember something?” he whispered.

He snapped back to his senses but continued to look out onto the landing. “Revali…” Link said at last, and looked down, smiling softly. “He must be pretty annoyed that I’m having to bail him out of this, huh?”

“Link?”

Link looked up into Aita’s eyes. “You’re right. Helping these people as fast as we can is what’s important.” he leaned over and hugged him, and spoke as they embraced. “I’ll be back soon.”

He walked out onto Revali’s Landing and jumped, deploying his paraglider and soaring down to the cliffs below.

 

It was several hours before Link returned. Aita was bored, especially since he wasn’t particularly talkative with the locals. He kept thinking about Kass’ question; what was the purpose of his journey? If there was one thing he missed about the Yiga Clan, it was having a goal, a definitive solution; even though that solution did end in murder...“Help Link” just seemed so nebulous. 

He was sitting back on Revali’s Landing again in the late afternoon when a white feathered Rito soared in with Link on his back. Link hopped off and the Rito spoke with urgency as he walked towards the stairs.

“Get anything you need, and meet me back here as soon as you can.” he said. 

“Got it!” Link said with a nod.

Aita stood up as the Rito walked briskly past him. “Link, what’s going on?” he asked.

Link took a deep breath; he looked a little nervous. “We’re going to fight Vah Medoh.” he said.

“What, right now?!” Aita said. 

“Yeah, now or never.” Link responded. “Teba is getting me some bomb arrows now, he’s going to fly me up there, and then I’ll shoot out the cannons and shields while he covers me.”

Aita felt the urge to say ‘That’s crazy! You’ll get yourself killed!’ but he stopped himself. He had to try harder to be supportive. “...Good luck.” Aita said. “You can do it.”

Link looked surprised. “Oh. Thank you.”

“Wait, before you go.” Aita pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Link. “I know you just got back from the Hebra Mountains, but it’s probably pretty cold up in the air, too.” It was a Snowquill tunic and pants.

Link gasped. “How...how did you buy them?” he asked.

“I was bored, so I asked for some work. He let me clean his store for a few hours while you were gone, and gave them to me.”

Link looked down at the folded clothes in awe. “Are you sure?”

“What am I going to do with them?” Aita said. “Besides, it’s the least I can do. I told Kass I was here to help you, but all I’ve done since leaving the clan is get sick, act like a jerk, and hold you back.”

“Thank you.” Link responded. “But, I hope you know I don’t feel that way.”

“Yeah yeah, I figured.” Aita said, and noticed Teba making his way back towards the landing. “You better get going; don’t worry about me, alright?”

“Thanks again.” Link said, pulling the heavy tunic on. “See you later.”

As soon as Teba took off with Link on his back, Aita dropped his relaxed facade and sprinted up towards the highest platform in the village. A small group was gathering there, watching Teba ascend towards the divine beast with Link on his back. A red aura appeared around Medoh as they drew in; a few of the Rito in the crowd mentioned it being a barrier.

Aita could barely see, all the Rito were taller than him, and the stone tower blocked most of the view. In frustration he turned and began to climb the tower, ignoring the odd looks from the Rito below, until he found a ledge to stand on. He could see better from here.

He watched in nervous anticipation as Link deployed his paraglider and separated from Teba. Immediately, a white flash came from one of the corners of Medoh’s barrier as the beast shot a laser at him; but Link was able to release the paraglider to quickly fall out of its aim and reopened it again to catch an updraft. The crowd below him gasped as the shot nearly missed him.

“You’re supposed to be covering him, you bag of feathers!!” Aita yelled. 

Suddenly Link dropped off from his paraglider again. He was barely just a dot in the sky, but Aita saw two small projectiles flying from him. Soon after, one of Vah Medoh’s cannons exploded. He had fired a pair of bomb arrows. 

“That’s it!!” Aita shouted excitedly as the Rito cheered. Vah Medoh was circling around to the other side of the tower; the villagers rushed to move along the pathway below, some taking off to fly and perch on roofs and treetops. Aita carefully walked along his stone ledge until he could see the other side.

Link was firing again; he would release his paraglider and fire 2 or 3 bomb arrows with nearly perfect accuracy, and re-deploy it before the arrows could even hit their mark. Another canon was down and Link was riding the updraft to regain altitude. He swung around to reach the third canon. Teba was flying around, fast, drawing the canon’s fire. It was evening now and the every minute the village would be dimly illuminated with the light of the laser shot from the divine beast. 

“Watch out!!” Aita yelled, unsure if Link could even hear him. A cannon had targeted him and was following close. Just a second before firing, Teba swooped in and it switched targets and fired. Teba was fast, but Aita and the Rito watched as the light grazed him; he tumbled in the air for a few seconds before regaining his composure. Link fired his arrows while the cannon recharged and another explosion echoed through the valley. 

Aita bit his knuckles. It was the last cannon, and Teba was flying slower now, struggling to gain altitude. It targeted Link as he flew in closer and closer. Then simultaneously, a flash of light as the cannon went off and immediately exploded as Link delivered the final arrows.

The crowd of Rito cheered as the red barrier surrounding Vah Medoh disintegrated and Link flew in closer until he was obscured by the massive flying machine. Aita let out a sigh of relief. With how much time he spent with Link, it was easy to forget just how powerful and skilled he really was. Teba glided down, closer and closer to the village; Aita saw Saki in the crowd, running towards Revali’s Landing. She caught him as he crashed into her, sending them both rolling along the wooden deck. Aita climbed down from his stone ledge.

“Ah, just look what you’ve done!” Saki said, her voice full of worry. Teba’s leg was burned, clothing and feathers singed away by the cannon’s shot. “You could have died! You know you worry the hell out of me when you do these reckless things!!” She scolded.

Teba chuckled and leaned forward, resting his head on her shoulder. “But we did it.” he said. She let out an annoyed, but relieved sigh and embraced him.

“Teba, is he okay?” Aita asked as soon as he walked on the landing, breathless. “Link, he made it right?”

Teba smiled. “Yeah, he made it. We’re all counting on him.”

Aita looked up. The red glow of the divine beast’s machinery stood out against the dark grey sky. He took a deep breath. “Good luck, you can do it.” Aita repeated the words quietly to himself.


	17. Divine Beast Vah Medoh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Link is aboard Vah Medoh, Aita has some time to think.

Aita found it difficult to sleep that night. The mechanical noises of Vah Medoh flying overhead echoed across the lake, no louder than they had ever been, but Aita couldn’t help but listen close as he stared at the ceiling of Teba and Saki’s home. They had allowed him to stay since he was a friend of Link’s, and since he was too broke to afford a bed in the inn. His mind was swimming. He wondered if Link was okay up there all by himself, but other worries came and went as well.

As he listened to the distant whirring of Vah Medoh’s propellers, he noticed another quiet sound echoing through the valley. He sat up and listened closer; was it music? Quietly, Aita got up and stepped lightly across the wooden floor, out to the spiral pathway and down the stairs to the village entrance. Maybe a walk would make him sleepy.

When he reached the base of the stairs, the music was a little louder. It was coming from the stables. He walked across the long suspended bridges until he reached the cliff’s edge. As he suspected, Kass was there playing a slow, sleepy little tune. Aita approached quietly, not wanting to disturb him, but Kass eventually noticed and stopped.

“Oh! I’m terribly sorry, did I wake you? I was meaning to play quietly, but I can tend to get a little carried away.”

“That’s alright.” Aita said. “What are you playing?”

Kass looked down to his accordion with a bittersweet look. “It’s a lullaby for my daughters, I used to play it for them every night...even when I’m on the other side of Hyrule, I will still play it for them.” Kass said. “But I must admit, being so close as we are now...it is difficult to not break my promise just to be with them again.”

Aita was silent for a moment as Kass gazed off towards Rito village. “What’s it like having a family?” he spoke without thinking. 

Kass looked a little caught off guard. “Well, it’s the greatest accomplishment of my life.” he said. “Even after I complete this quest and fulfill my teacher’s goals, in the end, I will always be proudest of my wife and children...If I may pry, do you not have a family of your own, young Aita?”

Aita suddenly felt as if he had said too much. “Um, sort of...I think. Maybe not.” He muttered.

Kass didn’t ask for elaboration, he simply repositioned his accordian and began another soft and pleasant song. Aita found it easier to speak with the background music, and the sense that Kass was not expecting answers.

“I guess I always thought of them as my family, like that’s what family was supposed to feel like, but…” Aita sighed, and sat down on the ground beside Kass. “Since I left, I’ve learned a lot about them, things that I never even realized when I was there. They were...terrible to me. I always thought it was good for me, that it would somehow make me strong, but all it did was make me bitter and angry! They made me into this...this awful person.”

Kass continued to play, but closed his eyes and nodded in understanding. 

Aita absentmindedly plucked some grass beside him while he continued. “Even though I left, I still feel like that’s following me; like I’m always going to be what they molded me into…” He huffed and lightly punched the ground in frustration. “I even said some stupid, terrible things to Link the other day, and he got mad at me. All because I couldn’t forget some lie that they told me. And what else did they lie about, how many times am I going to screw up?”

Kass still played quietly.

Aita sighed and looked up in the sky. Vah Medoh was still slowly circling above. “I want to be useful to him, but I’m either messing up or just being in the way. He’s just...he’s so good. How can I ever be close to that?”

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe he feels that way at all.” Aita jumped slightly when Kass spoke; he’d almost forgotten that he was actually venting to someone instead of just talking to himself. “The way he looks at you, I think he’s very proud of you. You’ve come a long way Aita, I’m sure. And personally, I wouldn’t believe the man sitting beside me now was an awful person. Not in any sense of the word.” Kass said.

Aita looked back down to his hand, fingers running through the grass. It felt good to hear that.

“Healing is a journey in and of itself, and it can be as harrowing as it is rewarding. You said your journey was to help Link, wasn’t it? Perhaps it’s time you helped yourself.”

“...What should I do?” Aita asked.

“I can’t say. I can only hope that at your journey’s end, you’re as proud of yourself as Link is of you.” Kass ended the song with a soft fade, and took a deep breath. “I think it’s time I headed to bed. I thank you for your company, Aita.”

Aita said goodbye, and Kass turned and walked back towards the Rito Stables. Aita took one last gaze upwards to Vah Medoh, and headed back towards the village.

 

For most of the following day, Aita’s head was craned back, looking upwards at the divine beast. Once or twice he thought he saw a little blue dot under its wings, but he couldn’t be certain. He had no idea if Link was okay or not.

And if Link wasn’t okay, what would become of him? Obviously if he were to die, Aita wouldn’t have to contemplate these questions because it would be hopeless. He wasn’t sure exactly what would happen if Calamity Ganon won, it probably wouldn’t be good. But, what if Link just wasn’t around? Still safe, but not nearby. What would he do then? Who would he even be?

Aita tried to keep busy. He wasn’t used to not having anything to do, the Yiga Clan would keep him busy every hour of the day during training. Now he just didn’t know what to do with himself. Some Hylian tourist wanted baked apples in the morning, so he started a campfire outside the village and roaste some apples. She paid him for five of them, enough to afford a bed for the night instead of sleeping in a Rito hammock. He wandered around the wooded area at the base of the village’s tower for a while, then talked to a few villagers, but found their small talk to be boring. The rest of his evening was spent laying down on Revali’s Landing face up, watching Vah Medoh floating above and wishing Link would hurry up.

Early the next morning, Aita awoke to the sound of Vah Medoh’s mechanical noises, louder than usual. He lay in bed still half asleep, wondering what was going on, until suddenly the whole stone tower holding up the village shook with an enormous tremor. Aita jumped out of bed and bolted up the stairs. He heard rocks hitting the wooden walkway around him and on the roofs of the buildings; all the Rito in the village were either getting ready to take off or already in the air. Aita ran out to a landing platform and looked up; Vah Medoh had perched itself at the very highest point of the tower. It was standing up straight, wings spread outwards, beak facing forward. 

Just like he had watched with Vah Ruta, Aita saw a red ball of light collecting at the tip of its beak. It grew and grew, until it burst, and shot a white beam of light across Hyrule. Although Aita couldn’t see from here, he knew it was pointed right at Hyrule Castle. 

And then, Medoh was still. Aita stared for a moment, waiting to see its next move. He noticed the Rito flying around the village were all congregating on Revali’s Landing above him. He turned and sprinted up the rest of the stairs.

Aita was breathless by the time he reached the landing. Everyone was already there, Teba, Saki, Harth, Kenali, other Rito he didn’t know the names of, and Link. They were all around him, thanking him, congratulating him, praising him, and Link was smiling and laughing, thanking them in return. Aita waited by the stairs, not wanting to intrude, until he caught Link’s eye.

“Aita!” Link said and jogged over to hug Aita. “I did it! I remember Revali now, completely! All that’s left now is Death Mountain, and I’ll be ready.”

Aita laughed. “That’s great! I’m glad you’re back.”

Link suddenly looked a little surprised. “Aita, your hair, what happened?”

Aita ran a hand through his ponytail. “My hair? What’s wrong with it?”

Link reached up and touched his hairline with a finger. “It’s growing in white!” he said “How did that happen?!”

“O-oh!” Aita said, blushing. “Yeah, I guess I haven’t died it in awhile...it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Wh- you mean it’s naturally white?” Link said, amazed. “Oh!! That’s right, your ancestors were Sheikah, and a lot of Sheikah have white hair don’t they?”

Aita bit his cheek and looked away; it still felt like an insult to be compared to the Shiekah, but Link didn’t mean it like that, and that was just something he’d have to get used to.

“So, it’s a long trip back to Death Mountain, you ready to head out today?” Link asked cheerfully. 

Aita hesitated for a moment, and then turned back to Link. “Actually, I was hoping that we could talk privately first.” he said.

 

The two of them headed down the spiraling stairs towards the village gates. Link talked about what it was like to be on Vah Medoh, the monster he fought at the end, and what he remembered about his old friend, Revali. They passed the exit from the village and walked across one of the suspension bridges to another one of the pillar islands in the lake. There were clear puddles of water scattered across the ground. Aita knelt down and saw a vague reflection; sure enough, there was a white line along his scalp from his colorless roots. 

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Link asked, squatting down next to Aita.

“Oh, I...It’s…” Aita said, trying to find the right words. He stood up. “...I don’t know if I should keep traveling with you.”

“What?” Link said. “Why?” He sounded hurt.

“No, it’s not like that!” Aita said. “I just…ever since I left the Yiga Clan I just feel like I’ve been...stuck. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore, I don’t feel like I even have an identity now...and I think, lately, I’ve been trying to build myself an identity around you, instead.”

“What do you mean?” Link asked, softly.

“I don’t know; I guess instead of Aita: Yiga footsoldier, I thought I could be Aita: partner of the hero, but...that’s not fair to you, and I don’t want to feel like I don’t have anything when you’re gone or when you have other people in your life…”

“Aita.” Link took a step towards him and took his hands in his. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like that. I know I can be impatient sometimes, or maybe a little oblivious about how people feel. I hope I never made you feel like you have nothing.”

“N-no!! I mean, it was all me! It’s not your fault for having to go into the divine beasts or remembering your friends, I’m just…” he took a deep breath to calm down. “...I want to be a better person. And I have to do it for myself, I can’t expect you to do it for me.”

Link smiled warmly. “Okay, I understand.” he said. “For the record, I think you’ve always been a good person.”

Aita scoffed, but appreciated it regardless. The two of them looked down and realized they were still holding hands, and both laughed awkwardly as they let go.

“So, what are you going to do now, then?” Link asked.

“I haven’t really decided.” Aita said. “I mean, I’d rather not camp down in some old abandoned hut again.”

Link thought for a moment, then glanced up at Aita’s hair. “...What about Kakariko?” he asked.

Aita laughed. “The Sheikah village? You’re kidding right? They’d flay me alive the moment I step past the gates.”

“No they wouldn’t! They don’t even have to know that you used to be a Yiga.” Link said. “I’m friends with the village elder, Impa, I bet if I talked to her she’d give you a house and everything. Everyone’s really nice there, I think you’d like it!”

Aita rubbed his arm nervously. “I don’t know…” he hesitated, when Kass’ words came back to his head. “...I’ll try. It’ll be hard but, it’s worth a shot I guess.”

“That’s the spirit!” Link said. “This is great, I’m excited to see everyone there again! I can’t wait for you to meet Impa and Paya. Kakariko’s a bit farther than Death Mountain, huh? We shouldn’t waste time!”

They retraced their steps south through the Tabantha Frontier; along the Tanagar Canyon and across the Great Tabantha Bridge. It was evening by the time they hit the Tabantha Bridge Stable where Haran was boarded, and they decided to stop for the night. The sun set in the west, silhouetting Vah Medoh perched still on the tip of Rito Village. 

Although he was nervous for the future, and sad to think that this would be his last few days of travel with Link for a while, Aita couldn’t help but feel excited what was to come. It would be harrowing, but it would be rewarding, too.


	18. Nima Plain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita travel to Kakariko Village and make a new friend.

“C’mon Haran, do it for me, please?” Link pleaded. Haran was standing just before the Jeddo Bridge with both Aita and Link on his back, just south of the West Hyrule Plains. He was refusing to place a hoof on the old, splintered wood. It was midday, now; Aita and Link had spent the night at the Tabantha Bridge Stable and headed out that morning due east, then turning south towards Satori Mountain. 

“You’d think after all this time, he’d actually know what you want.” Aita said in a sarcastic tone.

“He does, I think!” Link replied. “He doesn’t want to go, there must be some reason…” Link leaned forward and rested his cheek on Haran’s mane. “What’s wrong, buddy? You can tell me…” He whispered. 

“He can’t talk.” Aita said.

“I think he wants us to just walk for a while.” Link said, sitting back up as if he had actually heard an answer from the horse. Link and Aita both dismounted. Haran let out a short huff of relief, and stepped forward onto the bridge.

“There we go, good boy!” Link cheered, and took hold of Haran’s reins to lead him along. “He must have been worried about going across this bridge with both of us on his back. You’ve been so strong Haran, I know it’s so hard carrying both of us for all this time…” 

Aita rolled his eyes. “He just had almost a week vacation while we were in Rito Village. He’s probably just gotten lazy.”

“Sometimes you can only put up with things to a certain point, y’know? He probably just decided he was tired of it and stood up for himself.” Link said. “We really shouldn’t have put all that stress on him in the first place. If you want to ride him, I’ll walk alongside.”

“No way, I don’t trust him to carry me alone.” Aita said. “He bit my shoe once, he has it out for me.”

They continued south through the Nima Plain. As they were just about to pass the Sandin Park Ruins, something caught Link’s eye in the valley below and he stopped. He squinted and shielded his eyes from the sun as he stared down the side of the hill, then suddenly gasped and pointed.

“Aita!!” he exclaimed “Do you see that?!”

Aita looked. “...It’s a herd of wild horses, we’ve passed a bunch of those and you point them out every time.”

“No! Well, yes, but look closer!!” 

Aita examined the group. Among the speckled and plain colored horses, there was a single, pure white mare. “...The white one?” Aita said.

“Yes!” Link said, excited. “Gosh...isn’t it beautiful…”

“Link.” Aita sighed. 

“I’ve decided. I’m going to catch it.” Link said, and began climbing down the rocky hillside towards the valley.

“Link!” Aita said “This is exactly what happened in the Taobab Grassland, remember? That black horse? And it bucked you off and almost trampled you!”

“Yeah, but that horse was way bigger, it was a giant! I’m still going back to get it someday, by the way.” Link said, continuing his descent. 

When Link had gotten to the bottom of the hill and started jogging across the plain towards the herd, Aita turned to Haran. “Looks like you’re getting replaced, pal. Too bad.” Haran turned and started eating some grass by the road.

He sat and watched as Link slowly approached the herd, accidentally scared them off halfway down the valley, ran up to get closer, and crouched down to approach them again. He sighed and laid down in the grass. So much for getting to Kakariko quickly. 

He had dozed off when he awoke to the sound of hooves galloping up the trail. Link was riding the white horse, and while it was occasionally struggling against his commands, he had a huge grin across his face. 

“Look at her!!” Link said. “She’s even prettier up close, isn’t she?”

“I mean...she’s a horse…” Aita laid back down. “I think the Outskirt Stable is a little further south. I’ll set up camp here so you can register her and drop her off, then you can come back and we’ll head off in the morning.”

“What are you talking about? We can both make it to the stable today, easily. You’re gonna ride Haran.”

Aita bolted upright. “No I’m not.” he said. 

“It’ll be easy! He’s already trained and everything! If I don’t ride this one and get her used to me, we’ll never be friends.” Link said.

“No, let’s just-” Aita glanced at Haran, and lowered his voice to a whisper “Let’s just leave him here. He’ll be fine, he’s got grass and water, horses don’t need anything else.”

“Aita.” Link said.

“I can’t ride him by myself, he won’t listen to me!”

“It’ll be okay, we’ll go nice and slow! And we’ll stop at the Outskirt Stable, okay?” Link reassured him. 

Aita hesitated. “Okay, fine.” he said, defeated, and raised a finger to Haran. “But I’m warning you.” He climbed up onto Haran’s back.

“You’re doing great!” Link said, still atop the white horse. 

“I haven’t done anything yet. How am I supposed to control him?”

“To get him to walk, just move the reins like this and give him a gentle nudge with your heel.” Link showed the movement using strands of hair in the white horse’s mane.

“Like this?” Aita followed the instructions and Haran started off on a trot. “W-woah, hey! That’s too fast!”

Link rode up alongside. “Don’t yell! Just lightly pull back on the reins to get him so slow down.” Aita tugged on Haran’s reins, and he slowed to a walk. “We’ll just go at this speed for a while, until you’re more comfortable.”

They continued on. Aita felt off balance and uncomfortable; that feeling of vertigo from being too high that he thought he’d gotten used to was back and he was watching Haran’s movements carefully. Meanwhile, Link was smiling, occasionally patting the white horse’s neck and giving her praise and soothing words. “See, isn’t this fun?” He said. “What do you think about Nima as her name, since we found her on the Nima Plain?” Aita was too concentrated to answer.

When they entered the Dalite Forest, Haran stepped off the path. “Hey! What’s he doing?!” Aita called out. Haran walked over to boulder and lightly pushed his body against it, squishing Aita’s leg between his body and the rock. “Ow!! He’s crushing my leg!” 

Link rode up, took Haran’s reins and walked him forward until Aita’s leg was free. “That’s weird, he’s never done that before. Maybe something’s wrong.”

“Of course something is wrong, he wants to hurt me.” Aita said, rubbing his leg. “Your horse is crazy!”

“Just try to be patient, okay?” Link replied. “He can tell if you’re nervous or upset; just be calm and gentle and he’ll start to like you. Horses like to feel like they’re safe, y’know?”

“Oh sure, he’s the one that doesn’t feel safe.” Aita scoffed. “He’s just a giant animal that could crush me under one hoof…” Aita awkwardly steered Haran back onto the trail and set him walking again. They were almost to the Outskirt Stable, at least.

They reached the stable by nightfall. Aita rented two beds and brought their belongings in out of the rain while Link talked to the stable manager about the white horse. He walked in a few minutes later while Aita was taking off his boots.

“Good news! I got Nima all registered, she’s part of the family! She and Haran are all settled for the night, and they had some tasty oats for dinner.” Link said.

“Good, she seems friendlier than Haran, even if she’s still wild.” Aita said. “We can finally board him here.”

“Actually, uh…” Link muttered. “The stable manager said I couldn’t have two of my horses out at once so...I switched Haran over and put him under your name.” 

Aita looked up at Link. “You did what?” he whispered.

“We’re making such good time with two horses! And you’re doing great at riding him, you’ll only get better. He doesn’t have to be your horse y’know, he’s just registered under your name now. It’s all just paperwork stuff!” Link explained.

“You said once we got here I wouldn’t have to ride him anymore!” Aita said.

“Well no, I said we’d stop, and we are stopped…” Link said. “Besides, think about how helpful a horse would be in Kakariko! Everyone would love you!”

“Now you’re talking about leaving him with me in Kakariko?!” Aita said, and dramatically laid down onto the bed he was seated on.

“Hey, it’ll be okay!” Link sat down beside him on the bed. “I just didn’t want to leave you without a friend, y’know? Starting over somewhere where you don’t know anybody can be hard.”

“He’s not my friend, he’s a dumb animal.” Aita pouted.

Link smiled to himself. “He’s a lot like you, y’know.”

Aita glared at him. “Excuse me?” he said incredulously. 

Link laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that! Imagine if when we first met, if I acted like I was scared and nervous around you instead of being friendly, you never would have warmed up to me.”

“...But, you were scared of me right?” Aita asked.

“Oh sure, I was terrified, you tried to kill me.” Link said. “But then I saw that you were actually nice and that we had stuff in common, and I stopped being scared. You were stubborn and it took a lot of work, but look at us now! It’s the same with horses, you gotta be extra nice until they learn to trust you.”

Aita squinted at Link. “Are you telling me you trained me to be your friend?”

“Oh, hm. It kinda sounds like that, huh?” Link rubbed the back of his neck. “Well. Goodnight!”

 

The next morning as Link was making breakfast, he set aside a couple of apples and nudged them over to Aita. The stablehands were just finishing up putting the saddles on Haran and Nima. 

“Psst...Aita.” he said. “Give these to Haran, he’ll like you more!”

Aita picked up the apples. “...He’ll bite me.” he said.

“You can put them on the ground. He’ll still know they’re from you.”

Aita walked over and warily put the fruit in the grass in front of Haran. “These are for you. I could have eaten them myself but I didn’t, don’t say I never did anything for you.” Aita took a step back as Haran approached the apples. One by one he ate them totally whole, while Aita cringed.

They continued east below the northern cliff of the Great Plateau, still at a walking pace. Haran did seem to be more at ease today, and so was Aita. He felt like he understood him a little more.

“You’re doing great today!” Link said from over on Nima. She had also settled down a bit, only occasionally struggling against her reins or getting fussy. “Why don’t we try going into a trot?”

“No, I think this is fine!” Aita said.

“Just for a little while, c’mon! Hyah!” He lightly nudged Nima’s side and they sped up, moving ahead.

“H-hey, hold on!” Aita said. He didn’t want to get left behind. Begrudgingly, he gave a light nudge to Haran’s side, half expecting him to take off running, but instead he sped up to a trot and kept pace with Nima. The bouncing was a bit uncomfortable, but he held onto the reins and secured his feet in the stirrups to steady himself.

“Look at you, you’re a natural!” Link said. “And I think he’s warming up to you.”

Hours later, they were passing through the Gatepost Town Ruins. Aita looked at the crumbled stone buildings as they passed, and the dilapidated guardian husks. This was where he had first teleported in his effort to kill the hero, and where they’d come right after he’d defected from the Yiga Clan. It was an odd feeling to return here again.

“Let’s try to gallop, okay?” Link called out.

“Wh-no! Link!” Aita replied.

“It’s fun! We don’t have to go fast!”

“This is going fast!”

“Just for a little while!” Link said, and whipped Nima’s reins. They took off. 

Aita grimaced, held on tight, and gave Haran another nudge with his heels. “Hya!”

He ran. It was scary at first, but slowly, Aita got used to the motion. Haran had caught up to Nima and both he and Link were riding side by side. They crossed the Proxim Bridge, passed the Hills of Baumer, approached the Dueling Peaks. When they entered the fissure between the two mountains and the trail narrowed, Haran instinctively sped up and took the lead. Aita looked back at Link, careful not to pull the reins and steer Haran off course. Link smiled and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. He was right, this was...fun.

They slowed back down to a trot to cross the Big Twin Bridge and as they approached the Dueling Peaks Stable. “It’s only mid afternoon, we’re making great time!” Link said and dismounted Nima for a short break. “We can easily make it to Kakariko tonight.”

Aita dismounted Haran, but held onto his saddle for support. His legs were shaking a bit. “Uh, let’s just...go slower the rest of the way.”

After a short break for food and water, they continued on, at a trot this time. It was surreal to be crossing Kakariko Bridge again. He hadn’t known it back then, but this was the place where his life changed forever.

“Hey, this is where we met!” Link said cheerfully, as if they had been two strangers that just happened to cross paths and become fast acquaintances.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Aita replied.

As they passed through the valley between the Pillars of Levia and Bonooru’s Stand, Aita became more anxious. Kakariko Village was only a stone’s throw away now, and even though he understood it all to be lies, the words that the Yiga Clan had told him about the Sheikah still lingered in his mind; weak, idiotic, blindly loyal, brainwashed. He wasn’t happy about this, he would have much rather stayed in another village, like Hateno or Lurelin, but both were much more out of the way, and he’d inconvenienced Link enough. 

He took a deep breath. It would be fine. Link would vouch for him to the elder, he’d find some small empty house and lay low. He wouldn’t even have to speak to any Sheikah, and he could sort out all his issues by himself. It would be fine.

Soon, they passed under the low wooden gates of Kakariko Village.


	19. Kakariko Village Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Aita arrive in Kakariko and go to speak to Impa about allowing him to live there.

The sun had only just set when Link and Aita rode down the path through Kakariko Village. Aita looked around warily from atop Haran’s back; it seemed most of the villagers had already settled down for the night, closed their shops, were inside their homes. A few Sheikah still milled about, but they seemed to take no notice of Aita. Most would smile and wave at Link, but he felt virtually invisible. The blademasters had always told him to avoid Sheikah at all costs. They could supposedly see through their disguises like they were nothing; but Aita wasn’t wearing a disguise. Perhaps, he had nothing to fear. 

They rode to the bottom of the village to an open area at the base of a tall wooden staircase; at the top of it was a large and important looking house. Two Sheikah men were having a conversation at the base of the stairs. Link dismounted Nima and approached the two of them, Aita followed cautiously. The men turned and regarded them as Link and Aita approached; one was taller with a pointed moustache, the other was stocky with mutton chops.

“Master Link!” The taller one greeted. “Always a pleasure to see you, my friend. What can we do for you tonight, and-” He glanced over to Aita. “Oh! Who’s your friend?”

“Hi Cado, Dorian!” Link said happily. “This is Aita, I actually brought him to speak to Impa.”

Mutton chops, or Dorian, raised his eyebrows. “Is that so? We don’t usually have travelers asking to meet with Lady Impa.” The hair on the back of Aita’s neck stood up; was he suspicious?

“Aita doesn’t hope to be a traveler for long.” Link said. “He’s interested in living here. We thought going through Impa would be the best option to find him a place to stay.”

Cado looked at Dorian. “...I hate to be exclusive, Link, but Kakariko is a Sheikah village. We don’t allow just any Hylian to take up residence here. He’s welcome to stay in the Inn for as long as he’d like, but preserving our culture is very important to us.”

“But, he is a Sheikah!” Link said. “Look, you can see his hair growing in white!” He pointed at Aita’s hairline. Cado and Dorian leaned in, Aita instinctively leaned back. He was worried they’d see the sweat gathering at his forehead.

“...You dyed it?” Dorian asked.

“Y-yes.” Aita said.

“He said it didn’t really fit in where he lived last, so he dyed it. People kept saying he looked old.” Link said.

“Old?” Cado said with a frown. Aita wanted to scream, but he nodded instead.

Cado and Dorian looked at eachother again. “...Very well, I suppose Lady Impa should be the one to decide! Go on ahead.” Cado said, and stepped aside.

“Great, thank you! C’mon, Aita.” Link said, and started up the stairs. Aita followed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two guards begin to ascend the staircase behind him. 

His blood pressure rose. He looked forward, down at his feet, but his ears were tuned to the two men behind him. He had to stay calm, freaking out would only make things worse. His old sickle and duplex bow had broken long ago; he was grateful for that. He had a lizal boomerang he’d picked up from a monster on their travels. If things got messy he would defend himself; it didn’t matter if he made an enemy out of the Sheikah again.

Link reached the top of the stairs and opened the doors; he and Aita entered. It was a small living room; against the far wall was a platform with a stack of pillows.

“Oh, she’s not here.” Link said. “That’s odd, I wonder where she-”

The door slammed behind them, and in an instant, two cold Sheikah blades were against either side of Aita’s neck. He froze. There was no time to defend himself. One wrong move and he’d be headless. He’d gotten slow, ignoring his training regimen for so long. 

“Wh- guys!! What are you doing?!” Link panicked.

“You’ve been tricked, Master Link.” Cado said, holding his stance and his sword firm. “This is no Hylian traveler, this is a member of the Yiga Clan!”

“Using Link’s naive and trusting nature to try to assassinate Lady Impa, were you? And I’m sure after that, you would have attacked him while his guard was down. The Yiga’s plans have become more complex, but just as sadistic...” Dorian tightened his grip on his hilt, Aita saw his knuckles turning white.

“Look, I know!!” Link shouted. “I was going to tell you guys eventually, after everything-”

“Link!” Cado said, in shock. “You...you knew that he was in the Yiga Clan, but you led him into our village regardless? What’s come over you!?”

“No!! No he’s not, he’s a nice person!” Link pleaded.

“The Yiga Clan isn’t nice, Link! They’re cruel and evil, we’ve told you this before!” Dorian said.

“Just listen!!” Link cried

“Oh, we’ll listen to him.” Cado said. “You’re going to tell us everything we need to know, footsoldier, or else!”

“That’s quite enough.” They heard a voice from the stairs up to the second floor. Slowly, a tiny old woman with a wide brimmed hat made her way down the steps. Despite her age and her small stature, she held herself with dignity and poise. 

“Lady Impa, this-” Cado began but the woman held up her hand, and he stopped. She walked to the platform and hoisted herself up onto the pillows, balancing on top and crossing her legs.

“There’s no need to explain, I’ve already heard everything.” She said. “The four of you come into my home at this hour, shouting at the top of your lungs. Disrespectful.”

The front doors opened and a young girl stepped in. “Grandma, I...O-oh my goodness!!” she screamed and clasped her hands over her mouth in shock. Dorian and Cado were still in their position of ambush, and Aita was pouring sweat. “W-w-what in the world is happening here?!” 

“It’s alright, Paya dear.” Impa said. “Cado, Dorian, be at ease. Link has not betrayed us, but I am eager to hear an explanation for why we have apparently found a Yiga in our midst.”

“A-ah...a Yiga?” Paya whispered with a trembling voice. She hurried to her grandmother’s side, giving the group in the center of the room a wide berth. 

Cado and Dorian sheathed their swords and stood at attention on either side of Aita, but not before removing his blade and bow and tossing them into the corner of the room. Aita exhaled as he finally relaxed, every muscle in his body sore from being persistently tensed, his legs weak. He looked up at Link and saw him with his hand over his chest, faintly shaking. 

“Impa, listen.” Link said, taking a step towards her. “I can explain everything, please!”

Impa smiled. “Thank you Link, and while your input is vastly important in this matter, I’m much more interested in hearing it from him.” She turned and made eye contact with Aita, who avoided her gaze. “Tell me, what have you really come here for?”

Aita opened his mouth but found his voice was gone. He cleared his throat. “I-I want to live here.” he said, weakly. 

“That’s bold.” She said. “My guards could tell that you came from the Yiga Clan after speaking with you, and I can see it clear as day. Why would you want to live amongst your greatest enemy?”

“I’m not in the Yiga Clan anymore.” Aita finally found his voice. “I...I betrayed them. I left them and I joined Link instead. I can’t go back, and I don’t want to.” Dorian turned his head slightly to look at Aita.

“...Link, is that true?” Impa asked.

“Yes! Aita saved my life, twice! He even did it in front of a whole bunch of Yiga, at their hideout; they know he’s deserted them. I trust him completely!” Link said enthusiastically.

“How interesting. But, still…” Impa said. “I find it hard to believe a lifetime of distrust towards our people can be so quickly unlearned...do you really want to be a Sheikah?” 

Aita clenched his fists and gazed downward. She could see right through him, he knew that. “...No.” he admitted.

“Aita!” Link whispered.

“But, I have to.” Aita looked up, straight into the elder’s deep, dark eyes. “I...I don’t know anything. My whole life I’ve been lied to, everything I trained to be was for nothing. In truth...I just want to stay with Link, but I can’t revolve my life around him any longer, I have to be something else. I have to find out who I am now. And to be honest, the thought of being a Sheikah...I still don’t like it. But, I hate who I used to be even more, so I have to keep changing.”

There was a quiet moment. Paya lifted her hand delicately to her cheek and looked over to her grandmother. Impa’s face was obscured by the wide brim of her hat until she raised her head. She was smiling. “What an answer. You’ve made quite the impression, so far.” She said. “However, we can’t just allow a former Yiga soldier into our village so easily, not without the proper precautions.”

Suddenly, Dorian stepped forward. “Lady Impa, let me help! If any one of us is prepared to deal with Yiga trickery, it’s me.” He lowered his voice. “You offered me the same opportunity, all those years ago. I’d like to pass it forward.” 

“...I thought your name sounded familiar.” Aita said, he was still feeling annoyed from the ambush, and perhaps a bit more brash than he should have in this moment. “Dorian. My blademaster told me about you.”

“Oh?” Dorian replied, amused. “And what did they tell you?”

It was too late to back down now. “He told me you were a coward, and a weakling who threw away every chance you had to become something of value.”

“Why, you!” Cado said. “Don’t say such things about Dorian, he’s a stronger man than you’ll ever know!”

“It’s fine, Cado.” Dorian said. “The typical insults, I was expecting them. It’s not the kid’s fault.”

Link looked absolutely floored, but Impa and Paya seemed unfazed, if not a bit wary. “You’re sure about this, Dorian? You have a lot on your plate as it is.” Impa said.

“I can handle it, Lady Impa. I won’t let him out of my sight.” Dorian assured her.

“W-wait a minute!” Aita said, suddenly realizing what was happening. “I’m not a child, I don’t need a babysitter! At least allow me somewhere to sleep, alone!”

“Well, I’m afraid that’s just not going to work...Aita, was it?” Impa said, while Paya helped her stand up from her pillowy seat. “You can stay in this village with Dorian, or you can leave. I expect frequent updates, Dorian. Goodnight, all.” She began making her way up the stairs, Paya by her side. “Oh! And Link, do stay until morning! I’ve been waiting to hear from you, see you then!”

 

The four of them stepped outside onto the wooden patio.

“Cado, do you mind covering my shift tonight?” Dorian asked.

“It’s not a problem, my friend.” He glanced over to Aita and back. “Be careful.”

Cado returned to his position at the bottom of the staircase. With a goodnight and good luck, Link headed over to the Inn. Aita followed Dorian through the village. He wasn’t happy about this development; he had imagined at least a small empty home to himself, not being hovered around by someone, much less the infamous Dorian. And it was never his personality to suck up to anyone.

“You should listen to Cado.” Aita said. “I hear that you have two kids....you’re sure it’s smart to invite me into your home?”

He heard Dorian chuckle. “You assume that I’ve volunteered for this out of the goodness of my heart? Am I some rehabilitation expert for poor, discarded Yiga spies?” Dorian stopped and turned to face Aita. His face was illuminated dimly by a nearby lantern, and he spoke low and sharp. “You’re no charity project for me. Part of me wishes that you would step out of line; show just the slightest faltering in the conviction you showed during that moving performance of yours, all so I can be responsible for wiping away another bit of Yiga scum from this world.” Dorian said.

Aita couldn’t say anything.

He saw the man smile. “I’m joking, of course.” He said in the same low tone. 

They arrived to a house by a fork in the road. Dorian opened the door and guestured Aita to enter. Inside was a single large bed with two little girls. One was fast asleep, but the other weakly raised her head to look.

“Daddy…” she said, half asleep. “I waited for you to get home…”

Dorian walked over to her and petted her head. “Thank you Koko, but you didn’t have to. Daddy would much rather you get a good, full rest. Go to sleep now, alright?” The girl seemed to drift off immediately. Dorian stood up. “My daughters. This is Koko and Cottla. I’m sure they’ll be very interested in you in the morning.”

Aita looked around the room. “Where am I sleeping?”

Dorian gently picked up Cottla and moved her closer to Koko’s side, creating space on the bed. “There’s room here, or there’s the floor. It’s your choice.”

Aita scowled, and without a word, strolled to the far side of the room. He removed his leather armor, boots and belt, then his tunic and chainmail. He rolled the tunic up to use as a pillow and laid on the wood floor in just his undershirt and trousers. 

It took a long time to fall asleep.

 

The next morning he woke up to the feeling of a small child sitting on him. “Daddy!! There’s a weird boy on our floor!! Daddy, wake up!!”

Dorian groaned and sat up; he had slept in the empty space on the bed that he had offered to Aita. He picked up Koko and moved her off his lap; Cottla was currently sitting on Aita’s chest. “Yes yes, girls, this is Aita. He’s going to stay with us for a little while.”

“Ay-ta!” Cottla said, and drummed her tiny hands against Aita’s collarbones. 

“Get her off of me, please.” Aita choked. Dorian got up and picked Cottla up. Koko stayed on the bed, looking a bit shy.

“Alright, Cottla, Koko, I want you to be on your best behavior. Be nice to Aita and he’ll play with you. And if he’s ever not nice back, just tell me and I’ll talk to him, okay?” Dorian said, cheerfully. Cottla clapped and agreed, Koko just nodded, still looking a bit wary of the stranger in her home. 

Aita sat up and realized that someone had placed a woven blanket over him. He didn’t think much of it; perhaps the little girl had dragged it over from the bed. He pushed it aside and started to put his armor back on. “So, what’s your plan for me today?” he asked. “You’re going to babysit me and your daughters?”

“My daughters can take care of themselves; they’re used to my busy schedule and everyone in the village knows them.” Dorian said. “As for you, you’re free to do whatever you please.”

Aita stopped. “...I thought you were going to be keeping an eye on me?”

“Oh, I will.” Dorian said. “We completed the same training, Aita, do you doubt that I could do it? I’ll be watching you when you don’t even know I’m there. Just keep that in mind.”

“...Alright. Weirdo.” Aita pulled on his boots and left the house. Cottla laughed and called her father a weirdo, too.

Aita made his way to the Inn, trying to avoid the glances of the townspeople, but instead saw Link headed down the steps from Impa’s place. He ran up and greeted him.

“How was your night?” Link asked.

“Strange.” Aita responded. “I don’t know about Dorian, I can’t quite figure him out.”

“I had no idea he used to be in the Yiga Clan, too!” Link whispered. “You said...you heard of him before, from your blademaster?”

“A little bit. All I know was that he was a deserter and that now he’s got two kids...outside of that, nobody liked talking about him.” Aita said. “And what about you, what did Impa want to talk about?”

“Just the usual stuff. She wanted to hear about what I’d remembered, and how the divine beasts are going.” Link explained. “But, she said that if I want to be able to get the Master Sword, I should probably devote some time to training outside of the divine beasts...I’m kinda disappointed, but I guess I already knew that.”

“Well, we’ve both got some hard times ahead of us, huh?” Aita said.

“Yeah.” Link smiled. “I’ll be back soon, alright? I told Haran to take good care of you and to be nice to you. Stay safe, okay?”

Aita scoffed. “Link, I was joking. You’re on your way to the inside of an active volcano; I’ve just got to deal with two brats and a bunch of old people. Keep all your worry for yourself.”

“Haha, I think I’d rather give it away.” Link laughed. “Maybe if I’m worried only for you, I’ll stop being scared about what I’ve got to do.”

“Alright, I worry about you enough for the both of us, as it is.” Aita smirked. “Now, are you gonna leave or not?”

“Yeah, but...” Link said, and hesitated, biting his lip. Something seemed to be on his mind, like he was trying to make a choice.

“...Well?” Aita said, and Link seemed to snap out of it.

“R-right. I’ll see you later, okay?” He gave Aita a quick hug, hopped up onto Nima, and she trotted away.

And once again, Aita was alone. Alone, yet standing in a village full of people.


	20. Kakariko Village Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita slowly adjusts to life in Kakariko Village with Dorian's family.

By noon on his first day in Kakariko Village, Aita had run out of ways to entertain himself. Link had only left hours ago, and since then he’d walked the paths through the village about four times over, memorized the locations of all the shops and houses, and there was still half the day left. There was nothing to do! He knew that the Sheikah had given up their magic while the Yiga had embraced it, but had they given up any drive to do something with their lives as well? He saw an old woman, just standing, admiring her plum garden, a teenage girl loitering about the front of a clothing shop, occasionally greeting passers by and inviting them in. It was all so incredibly tired.

Aita stood at the side of a fence, looking at a field of large and round orange fruits growing from vines in the ground. The sudden voice of an old man startled him.

“What do you think? They’re looking nice, aren’t they?” He said, stepping into the field.

“What are they?” Aita asked.

The old man laughed. “That’s a good one! Say, didn’t I see you coming from Dorian’s place this morning? You a friend of his?”

Aita rolled his eyes. “Not really, but I needed a place to stay. I guess I’m living here now.”

“Hey, that’s great to hear! You’ve probably noticed this village is a lot of older folks; young people these days would rather leave home and start their own lives. Makes me happy to see kids like you embracing a traditional lifestyle.” The old man said. “My name’s Olkin, how’re you enjoying our village so far?”

“It’s Aita, and I’m bored out of my mind.”

“Well, hey in that case, you mind helping me out here?” Olkin said, gesturing to the plants. “I need to weed and water these, looks like a few of them are ready to harvest as well. Only if you’ve got nothing else to do, of course.”

Aita stepped into the garden. Olkin showed him some small plants and sprouts that needed to be pulled up, so he did. When he finished that, Olkin handed him a watering can. Aita got water from a nearby stream and poured it over the vegetables while Olkin took a knife and cut a few of the vines, releasing the large gourds from their stems.

It was evening when he finished. It was harder work than Aita was expecting, but that was fine. It had been a while since he had worked up a sweat.

“Great job today, you really helped me out!” Olkin said. He picked up one of the fruits from his cart and put it in Aita’s arms. “Take this, you’ve earned it. I’m gonna bring these down and see if any merchants are interested. If you’re ever bored again, let me know!”

Aita carried the heavy thing back to Dorian’s place and kicked open the door. He was inside with Koko and Cottla. 

“Welcome back, Aita.” Dorian said. “What do you have there?”

Aita put it on the floor with a thud. “I don’t know, Olkin gave it to me for helping with his garden. What am I supposed to do with it?”

Koko gasped, suddenly free of her shyness, and cheered. “Koko’s making pumpkin stew!!” Cottla bounced up and down excitedly, and Dorian smiled and clapped for Koko. 

“That sounds wonderful, Koko!” Dorian said. “What do you say to Aita for bringing us a pumpkin?”

“Thank you Aita!!” Koko said, and Cottla repeated it.

Dorian carried the pumpkin outside to a cooking pot while Koko carried the rest of the ingredients. Cottla ran alongside, and Aita followed as well. The girls watched from a safe distance while Dorian cut open the tough vegetable; Aita cringed, seeing that it was mostly hollow except for a wet, stringy material and many flat, oblong seeds. Once the pumpkin was sliced, Koko scooped out the nasty interior and placed it aside in a bowl. 

“We give those back to Mr. Olkin and he can grow more pumpkins for us.” Koko said, noticing Aita looking at the slippery mess in the bowl. “Or we let them dry and eat them!”

Once again Dorian took the pumpkin, chopping it into smaller chunks and removing the outside skin. Koko placed the chunks in the cooking pot and simmered them until they were soft, then added other ingredients; milk, butter, flour, seasonings, etc. Soon, it came together as a thick and hearty stew. Koko served up four portions, giving a bowl to Dorian, Cottla, Aita, and herself.

“Thank you Koko, it smells wonderful!” Dorian said, and took a sip. “Mmm, you’ve outdone yourself, this is delicious. And the fresh pumpkin certainly helped, thank you Aita.”

Aita looked into the bowl at the soft, orange chunks of pumpkin floating in the thick broth. “...That’s alright.” he said “I’m not hungry.”

“Wha? You don’t want to eat it?” Koko said, dejected.

“It’s alright, Aita probably didn’t know that we were going to have such a yummy meal tonight, Koko. Tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll save his appetite.” Dorian said.

Dorian headed to work after dinner. Aita slept on the floor again, but kept the woven blanket.

 

The next morning Aita was trying again to occupy himself. He was hungry from not eating the night before, but found an apple tree and helped himself. As he was eating, sat on a small bridge, he heard a voice from behind him.

“Hey, hey you! Kid!”

Aita looked behind him, it was another older man, standing in a field a few yards away, leaning over a fence towards him. “You were working for Olkin yesterday, weren’t you? Did he hire you?”

Aita shook his head and swallowed the bite of apple in his mouth. “I was bored, and he gave me a pumpkin.” Aita said.

“Oh...are you still bored?” 

Aita nodded.

“Great, get over here.” the old man said. “If you helped Olkin with his pumpkins, you’re gonna help me with my carrots too! I’m Steen, by the way.” Aita walked over to Steen’s garden, it was filled with these short, fluffy leaved plants. “Just pull up these rows and then we’ll wash them.” 

Aita squatted down and pulled up one of the carrots. It was long and big; Link had cooked with carrots before but they were wild, so they were always a little small and withered. Steen clearly knew something about how to make these grow big. He continued pulling them and placing them in a wide basket, while Steen tended to the younger carrots on the other side of the field. After he’d picked them all, he brought them over to a little reservoir of water and washed off the dirt and mud. 

“Perfect!” Steen said, regarding the basket of clean carrots once Aita had finished. “You mind bringing these to my wife in the general store, too? It’s just there at the bottom of the village, by Lady Impa’s home.”

Aita sighed and carried the basket down. When he entered the store, an old woman greeted him. 

“Ooh, a new face! You must be Aita.” she said. “My husband said that Olkin was bragging about a new helper he’s got; I’m glad you decided to help my husband too! I could tell he was a little jealous.”

“Uh, yeah.” Aita said, putting the carrots on the counter. “He told me to bring you these, bye.”

“Oh, hold on, you shouldn’t leave empty handed!” She picked out several large and beautiful carrots from the basket and bundled them up by the stems with some twine and handed it to Aita. “There you are! Thanks again!”

Aita brought the carrots back to Dorian’s home, where Koko eagerly took them and talked about making carrot cake. When Dorian got home, she cut some of the carrots finely and cooked them with sugar, flour, spices and butter until she had perfect slices of moist and fluffy dessert.

Link had talked about making a cake or pie in Rito Village, but had never got to it. He knew it was supposed to be a desert, but carrots were crunchy and not sweet, so the orange flecks in the cake looked a little suspicious.

“No thanks.” Aita said when Koko offered him a slice. “I don’t like carrots.”

Koko frowned, and Dorian spoke. “You should try it at least, Aita.” he said. “It’s very good, and Koko worked hard on it.”

“I’ve tried it before, and I didn’t like it.” Aita shrugged.

“Perhaps you’ll like it this time.” Dorian persisted, but Aita didn’t budge. “Well, Koko. Looks like you’ll just have to work hard to find a recipe that Aita really loves, won’t you?” Koko accepted the challenge enthusiastically. 

 

The next day, he helped that old woman tend to her plum trees and she spared him a few ripe plums. Days later, Cado asked his help to feed his cuckoos, and he brought back a bunch of eggs. He delivered some feathers from Cado’s flock to the village fletcher, and in return she gave him some meat that she hunted. Then, he helped Paya polish the goddess statue, and she offered to brush Haran, along with giving him a bushel of apples. Each night Koko cooked something new that Dorian and Cottla loved, but Aita would take no more than a few bites. Then he would cook for himself in private, he knew what he liked.

One day a traveling artist asked if Aita knew a store named Enchanted, and if he would deliver some dyes from Hateno Village to it. As usual, Aita had nothing better to do, so he obliged. He entered the clothing store and unloaded the containers of dye onto the floor.

“Oh, thank you so much, I’ve been waiting for these!” The shop owner, Claree, said. 

“Don’t mention it.” Aita said, a phrase he’d said many times over the past weeks.

“That reminds me, wait here for a moment!” She left to the back room and came out minutes later holding a paper bag. “I noticed you working outside a lot, even in the rain, and I thought you could use this.”

Aita took the bag and looked inside. In it was an outfit of traditional Sheikah clothing.

“The reason we all wear these here is because they’re perfectly water resistant, and they keep you warm in the cold and cool in the heat!” Claree explained. “If you ask me, our clothes are the peak of Sheikah innovation, but I may be biased!” she laughed. 

“Oh, thank you.” Aita said. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever wear them, but it would be rude to refuse.

Aita went back to Dorian’s house that afternoon while he was home before his night shift. He put the paper bag on the floor and Cottla ran over and pulled the clothes out of the bag.

“This isn’t food!” she said, holding up the jacket.

“Cottla, it’s rude to go through other people’s belongings.” Dorian said, but noticed the contents of the bag himself. “Oh, Aita, did Claree give you those?”

Aita nodded. “I’ll probably only wear them when its raining or something.” 

Dorian thought for a moment, and then turned to his daughters. “I have an idea, since Aita’s been kind enough to bring us all this wonderful food lately, why don’t we go share it with Mommy?”

The girls got very excited. “Yeah, mommy!!” Cottla cheered. “Let’s go visit mommy today!”

“What should I cook, daddy?” Koko said. “What would she like?”

“I’m sure she’ll love anything that you bring her!” Dorian said.

Aita was confused, he didn’t realized they had a mom. Did she live somewhere in the village; had he already met her on accident?

“Oh, and Aita,” Dorian said, turning to him. “I’d like you to join us, please. You should wear that outfit there; I think that would make her happy.”

“Um, alright.” Aita said. He’d never met the woman, as far as he knew, so he didn’t know why she would be happy to see him. But, it seemed important to Dorian. Despite their rocky beginnings, he’d been nothing if not accomodating and polite.

 

While Koko whipped up a meal, Aita changed into his new clothes. They were comfortable, but felt odd after wearing Link’s Hylian armor for so long. Claree had estimated the size very well so they fit nicely. He didn’t look bad in them, either.

Koko cooked vegetable risotto with the last of their carrots, which they packed up into a picnic basket along with that woven blanket. Aita followed the family as they walked down the road towards the bottom of the village where Impa’s house was, but was surprised when they took a right turn, following a path that led out of the village. Shouldn’t their mother live in Kakariko, too, he wondered?

The small road led out onto a cliff with a view of central Hyrule and the castle. There was no house in sight. Aita was confused until he noticed the tall pile of rocks to his left. They had been purposefully carried and placed there. This was a gravesite. 

Dorian placed the basket in front of the tombstones and layed out the blanket over the grass. The girls gathered around and sat on the blanket with Dorian, leaving a space for Aita. He quietly joined them. Despite his discomfort, they didn’t seem morose; Cottla was excitedly bouncing in her spot and babbling on while Dorian took out the food and Koko doled out portions for the four of them.

When everyone had been served, Dorian said “Now, before we eat, who wants to say something nice for mommy?”

Cottla raised her hand and waved it in the air “Me!! Me first! Um!” She thought for a moment. “Mommy I’m getting really fast, I’m really good at tag now!”

“Haha, yes you are, Cottla!” Dorian said. 

“Oh! Me next.” Koko said. “Mommy, I’ve been working really hard on your recipes! Daddy says they’re very good but um...I’ll keep trying to be better.”

“Good job, Koko. I’m sure she’s very proud.” Dorian said. “Aita?”

Aita jumped slightly, he hadn’t expected to participate. “Oh...I didn’t know her…” he said.

“Please.” Dorian insisted. 

Aita looked down into his lap. “Um...your family is very kind. You were lucky to have them in your life, and, uh. I’m sure the opposite was true, as well.” Aita stopped, feeling a little embarrassed, but looked up to see Dorian smiling warmly.

“Thank you, Aita. That means a lot to us.” He said. “Now! Let's dig in, shall we?” He picked up his bowl and took a bite of the food, Koko and Cottla did too.

Aita looked at the food. He’d never had vegetable risotto, and he hadn’t been around while Koko had cooked it. There were things mixed up into the rice that he didn’t even recognize. He didn’t have an excuse, but maybe if he were to just not eat much, they wouldn’t notice.

Suddenly, he heard a quiet sob across from him and looked up; Koko was crying.

“Koko, what’s wrong?” Dorian said, putting a hand on her back.

“I-it’s not as good as mommy’s!” Koko said through her tears. “I don’t remember how she made it perfect, and I can’t taste it ever again!”

“Honey, it’s delicious. Mommy would be very happy to have this, she would think it’s perfect.” Dorian comforted her, but she still sobbed.

Aita picked up his bowl, loaded up his spoon with risotto, and took a big bite. The three of them stopped and looked at him, waiting for a reaction.

He swallowed. “...It’s good, Koko.” Aita said. “I’ve never had your mom’s version, but I like this.”

“R-really?” Koko sniffled, and Aita nodded.

“It’s really good Koko!” Cottla said.

“Yes! You made something that Aita likes!” Dorian said. 

Koko wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “Okay!” she said. “My version is good too!”

 

After they finished eating, Koko and Cottla went to play, chasing each other around the base of a large tree. Dorian and Aita sat together near the rocks.

“It was the Yiga Clan, wasn’t it?” Aita asked, quietly.

“...Yes.” Dorian responded. “I left because of her, so they decided that they would take her from me, as punishment.”

Aita took a deep breath. “Why did you bring me here? Did you want to make me feel bad for this? I was still in the clan when it happened.”

“Of course not, Aita. It was five years ago, you were just a child. You couldn’t have stopped it, you couldn’t have even known what was happening.” Dorian said. 

Aita sat quietly for a moment. “Do you...do you ever miss anyone from back then? Even if they were bad...do you ever wish you could talk to them again like things are normal?”

“...Yes, I do.” Dorian replied. “They were all I ever knew, for most of my life, until I met her. I had good friends, but they were victims like you and I, twisted and misled...I only wish I could have brought them with me. I wish I could have saved them.”

“If you met them now...” Aita said. “do you think you’d still try?”

Dorian thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Perhaps they’d listen to reason, or perhaps they’d become angry and lash out, like they have before.”

“Yeah...” Aita said.

They sat silently for a moment, watching the girls jump along the tree’s gnarled roots.

“You know, I won’t try to compare our experiences, but if I had been in the same position as you when I was your age, I’d feel very proud of myself. In just a few weeks, you’ve carved out a place for yourself in this village.” Dorian said. “You’ve become a valuable part of our little community.”

“What?” Aita said. “No, I didn’t do any of that stuff because I was trying to be nice or helpful, I was just bored! If I were actually a good person, I would have done it to make everyone feel good.” he protested. 

Dorian laughed. “You think that matters to anyone? All they care about is that you helped them out!” he said, and gave Aita a pat on the back. “Face it, you’re a Sheikah now.”

“Ugh, you’re right.” Aita said dramatically and dropped his head to his hands. His fingers brushed against his hairline. The white had grown out to the point where it was clearly noticeable. “Hm. Is there anything we can do about this, though? It looks kind of stupid, doesn’t it.” He said, pointing at his roots.

“I have something we can try.” Dorian said.

When Cottla and Koko had tired themselves out, the four of them packed up and walked back home. Dorian prepared a small basin with warm water and white vinegar. At his instruction, Aita doused his hair in the mixture and let it soak for about twenty minutes. It stank, but he tolerated it. Then, he rinsed it out with clean water. 

He looked in the basin as he washed, and to his surprise, saw that the water was taking on a inky, black shade. Aita looked at his hair, it was light. Not completely white, but the dye had mostly come out.

“That’s amazing!!” Aita said. “It’s never washed out, before!”

“It’s the vinegar.” Dorian said. “My wife figured it out, the dye breaks down from the acidity. The last of it should just fade out over time, but spending as much time in the sun as you have, it may go faster.”

Aita dried off his head, it was bizarre to see strands of white out of the corner of his eye when his hair was down, instead of black. “Well, at least it’s all uniform now.” He said.

“Aita looks just like us!” Cottla said, offering another dry towel.

Dorian got up. “Alright girls, daddy’s gotta go to his night shift now. I’ll see you in the morning. And no more staying up for me, alright Koko? I want you sound asleep when I get home.” The girls got up to give him hugs. “Aita?” He said.

Aita looked up from underneath a towel. “Huh?”

“Just...watch over them tonight, will you? I know you may be more comfortable on the floor but...there’s space on the bed.”

“...Okay. I’ll be here.” Aita said.

“Good. I’ll see you later, then.” 

Dorian left out the front door, and Aita was left feeling like something wasn’t quite right. Dorian had never asked him to watch his daughters before. As the night went on, the girls fell asleep, but Aita couldn’t shake this feeling. He broke his promise and left the house, crossing the street to Enchanted and knocking on the door. Claree opened it. 

“Aita?” she said “I’m sorry, we’re closed, you’ll have to come back in the morning…”

“I’m sorry to ask so late, but do you think you could watch Koko and Cottla for a bit? They’re both asleep, I need to go somewhere and I didn’t want to leave them alone.” Aita said.

“Oh...yeah I guess so.” She said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Is Dorian on guard duty? I guess you two have done a lot for us, I can spare an hour or so.”

Aita thanked her, and made his way down to Impa’s house.


	21. Lakna Rokee Shrine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita secretly follows Dorian up to the woods above Kakariko Village late one night and finds an unwelcome visitor.

Aita had been living with Dorian long enough to know his schedule as one of Impa’s guards. He would alternate shifts with Cado, one of which was in the first few hours of the night until about midnight when he would come home. It was near the end of his shift now, but he should still be there, thought Aita. If everything was alright, he would leave his post as normal.

His worries were confirmed when Impa’s house came into view. Dorian wasn’t there. Aita crouched behind a large hollowed stump and watched. Something was wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of it. After only a few minutes, the front door opened, and someone quietly stepped out. They had something large and round over their back, wrapped in fabric, faintly glowing. They were quietly making their way down the stairs. 

Aita slipped away from the stump and back through the village, quickly and silently. He passed over a bridge, behind the inn and the fletcher’s shop; if things got ugly he would need some kind of weapon. He had noticed it before and made a mental note of it; a wooden bow leaning up against the rear wall of the fletcher’s shop, and a bundle of arrows in a pot. It would be minimal protection, but it was better than nothing. He’d have to pay her back for the bow and arrows, later. He silently returned to his vantage point, moving through the shadows, letting the deeply ingrained Yiga training come back to him, for now.

When he returned, the thief was making his way back up the road to the village entrance. Aita quietly followed, keeping the bow at the ready, just in case. When he began to near Dorian’s home, Aita was getting anxious. If he tried something, would Claree be able to protect the kids? Then, to his surprise, the thief turned and began to walk up the trail to the forest overlooking the village, not the exit of Kakariko. For a moment his face was illuminated by the torch outside Dorian’s home; it was Dorian himself.

Aita was both relieved and confused, he nearly called out to him, but something still wasn’t right. He recognized what he was carrying now; he had seen it in Impa’s house before. It was a large stone sphere covered in orange, glowing runes. He vaguely remembered Paya calling it “the Sheikah Heirloom”, but what would Dorian want with it?

With utmost patience, Aita continued to follow Dorian up the path and into the forest. They came to a long, thin pond and Dorian crossed the wooden bridge to the other side. Aita went the long way; following him out into the open across the bridge would make him too vulnerable. On the other side was a huge metal platform with more runes and patterns glowing orange; Aita recognized these from his travels with Link, they had something to do with the ancient shrines.

The Sheikah heirloom made a hollow tone as it hit the ground. Dorian took off the fabric, revealing what it was. “Well? I know you’re here. You can come out.”

Aita froze, fearing he’d been found out, before he heard a sound he’d since forgotten. A hissing, like a short fuse, and then an explosion of red smoke and light.

There was a Yiga blademaster suddenly standing on the platform in front of Dorian.

“Good work, Dorian.” he said. “I won’t call you reliable or faithful, but you’re obedient at least.”

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Dorian said. “Take it and leave this village and my family alone.”

“Your family? You mean those two little girls of yours.” the blademaster said. “As I see it, they belong to the Yiga Clan. You may have weaseled your way out, but you shouldn’t expect your offspring to be exempt just because they were born to that filthy Sheikah mother.”

Aita knew this voice.

“Eji, what’s happened to you?” Dorian said. “Has the Yiga Clan really twisted you like this?”

“I became strong. I’m not the same worthless little footsoldier you knew.” Eji said.

“You were never worthless. You were led down a dark path that made you feel that way, we all were. But I’m telling you, there’s a way out.” Dorian said.

Eji placed a hand on the sheath of his windcleaver and pushed the blade out an inch. “Don’t you dare lecture to me. You’re still clinging to idiotic notions that this world is worth saving. I moved past that a long time ago.” Aita shivered. He’d seen Eji angry before, but never with such an air of spite and loathing about him. 

“I know, and look at yourself, now.” Dorian said, his voice wasn’t venomous like Eji’s, but calm and pleading. “If there’s no hope, then what are we here for? I left the clan because I found purpose, my life had a meaning! It wasn’t just to train and fight, I was given hope!”

“And what became of her?!” Eji shouted; Aita’s body compulsively tensed. “Face down in the Lanayru Wetlands, body riddled with cuts? That’s what happened to your ‘purpose’, your ‘meaning’!”

Dorian was speechless for a moment. “Eji...how did you-”

“I killed her, you miserable traitor!” he yelled. “I wanted you to suffer, and you are!”

Dorian said nothing, and Aita was frozen.

Eji laughed. “Look at you. You’ve only grown more pathetic.” He drew his windcleaver. “I feel sorry for you. As a testament to our past friendship, I’ll grant you this favor. I’ll leave your children alone. They’re too old to become of any use to us anyway, but I can’t let such a poor creature like you exist any longer.”

Aita stood up and drew back on the bow, firing a single arrow at Eji’s head. With deadly reflexes, he instantly reacted to the noise and stepped back, but it was too late. The arrow hit his cheek and ricocheted off the porcelain mask with a crack.

Eji reflexively reached up to his face. When he removed his hand, the bottom half of the mask fell and shattered on the ground. He looked up and into the darkness of the forest to see the interloper, and Aita stepped forward into the orange light of the glowing heirloom and platform.

“...Aita.” Eji growled, the sneer of hatred on his mouth now fully visible, and a scar down the left side of his face from his nostril to his chin.

 

Eji waited silently in the bushes for the perfect moment. He may have only been a footsoldier, but his patience was masterful. Dorian was here, he’d found him at last. He was with a Sheikah girl, hunting with her, but she hardly mattered. 

He watched as Dorian passed by and knelt to the ground, leveling his bow at a flock of birds. The Sheikah was nowhere to be seen, it was time to act. Eji quickly emerged, grabbing his hand to stop the arrow and released the pressure on the bow, silently. Dorian was shocked and almost drew his blade to attack, but Eji removed his mask. 

“Eji?!” Dorian said. 

Eji raised a finger to his lips. “Shh. I’m here to take you back.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“That Sheikah may be nearby, we have to hurry. Are you able to teleport?” Eji pulled on Dorian’s wrist to get him to move.

“Eji, stop, I...I’m not going back.” Dorian whispered.

“Don’t be an idiot.” Eji said. “You were captured and held prisoner.”

“No, I wasn’t, listen to me-”

“That doesn’t matter, they’ll believe it. Everything will go back to how it was.” Eji said, and pulled again.

Dorian tugged his arms free. “No! I don’t want things to go back. I want to stay here!”

“...What are you talking about?” Eji said.

Dorian collected his thoughts for a moment. “That girl, I met her in disguise, but even after I showed her what I was, she was still so kind and generous and...I can’t explain it, when I’m with her I just feel lighter and, and free! When we’re together, our training, trying to become blademasters, waiting for the hero to wake up...none of it matters to me at all.”

“What about us?” Eji said. “The whole clan, me, do we matter?”

He hesitated. “I don’t know.” Dorian said. “All I know is that as long as I have her, I can be happy.”

Eji was quiet, looking at the ground between them. “So it’s true, then…” he said. “...you are a traitor.” Eji drew his sickle and pushed Dorian with his body, pinning him against a tree. He pushed back, but Eji was now too consumed with anger and adrenaline to relent. “Did we mean nothing to you?! How can you just leave?!” 

He pulled his arm back to strike, but something hit his shoulder, pushing him away, and then, there was a sharp, cold pain across his face.

Eji stumbled to the ground and put his hand to his mouth. Hot blood seeped from between his fingers as the clean cut across his face bled. He looked up to see a Sheikah woman, shaking in fear, clutching a chef’s knife. Dorian looked on in horror, she turned and grabbed his arm. 

“Run, Dorian! We have to get out of here!” she screamed. 

Dorian didn’t resist. With a final look towards his bloodied friend, he ran back towards Kakariko Village.

Eji felt his blood soaking through his hand wraps onto his palm underneath as he removed it from his face, and formed the sign to teleport back to the hideout.

 

Years later, on the day that Eji was promoted to blademaster, he teleported to the Lanayru Wetlands. Dorian and his wife were there fishing that day, he knew this. Their two infant daughters were home in Kakariko being watched by his neighbor. 

Dorian went to check a trap while she stayed behind to clean the fish they had caught. Eji killed her with his newly given windcleaver while she was alone, leaving her body in the knee deep water to be found by Dorian, as a message. You will never be happy.

When he returned to the hideout he was given his first assignment as a blademaster: three thirteen year old trainees, they had completed their first course of training. It was his duty to turn them into footsoldiers in five years time. Eji accepted the task begrudgingly, he never wanted to be a teacher but they expected the hero to awaken any day now. The clan had been in a frenzy to produce and train as many new soldiers as possible. That meant that many blademasters were becoming lax with their trainees. One of his new students was particularly lazy; behavior that should have been hammered out of him by now, but the other two showed promise. He would make soldiers out of them, yet.

 

“I should have expected to find you here, Aita.” Eji hissed. “Two deserters, playing at being Sheikah. And where’s your precious hero, did he drop you off here when he got bored of you?”

Aita said nothing. He’d never imagined he’d be standing up to Eji like this; when he left the clan he hoped to never see him again. 

Dorian drew his sword, an eightfold blade. “Aita, get out of here.” He said.

“No, trust me. I want to kick his ass as much as you do.” Aita replied.

“I don’t care about that!” Dorian said. “All I care about is the safety of you and my family, now run and warn the village!”

Eji swung his windcleaver over his head. “You’re not running away from me again, you little coward!” He brings it down with powerful speed and force, the unique blade creating a vortex of air and a violent gust of wind that knocks Aita backwards, slamming him into a tree. 

Aita’s vision is blurred for a moment on impact. When his mind cleared after a few seconds, he looked up and saw Eji and Dorian, blade to blade. He had dropped his bow after being hit, and scrambled to grab it. Aita stood up and fired several arrows at Eji; he only had a few to spare, but couldn’t afford to spend too much time aiming to make every arrow count. 

To his frustration, Eji dodged each one effortlessly, even locked in his duel with Dorian. They seemed to be evenly matched; Dorian was holding his own and even managed to get a few good hits in. Aita reached for the rest of his arrows and fired another barrage, but he overestimated the old wooden bow. It had been crafted for nothing more than the hunting of small animals and with Aita’s strength and speed in the heat of battle, the string snapped.

Eji smirked and jumped away from Dorian. He held up his hand and it began to glow, surrounded with red light. Aita recognized the spell immediately, but it was already too late. He thrust his hand into the ground and the magic coursed through the earth towards him, churning up the dirt and throwing steam into the air. He knew what would happen the moment it hit him.

But suddenly, Dorian was there in front of him. The spell passed under his feet, and several sharp, jagged rocks burst from the ground, tossing him into the air. Aita could only watch helplessly until he fell hard back down to the ground; he ran to Dorian’s side as he struggled to pull himself up. 

“How simple...” Eji said, Aita could see the smug smile on his lips. “You used to be so strong, Dorian, I looked up to you back then. And you, Aita. You had so much potential; more skill than Goro and more level headed than Kei. You could have really become something of worth, if you hadn’t fallen down this miserable path.”

“I am something of worth, I always have been.” Aita said, supporting Dorian while he sat up. “The only miserable path I’ve been on is the one where miserable people like you told me that I wasn’t. Say what you want, you’re never going to make me feel like I’ve made a mistake.”

Eji’s smile fell and his mouth twitched into a sneer. “...I’ve changed my mind.” He said. “Forget what I said about sparing your daughters, Dorian. After I’m done here, I think I’ll go and kill every last person in that little village.”

“You really think you could?” came a woman’s voice.

Aita turned around in shock. Standing at the edge of the pond was Cado, Olkin, Steen, and Impa. 

“What, h-how did you…?” Dorian said, weakly. 

“Don’t worry, my friend.” Cado said. “Little Koko had been staying awake for you again. When you didn’t return from your shift, she got upset, and Claree warned us that both you and Aita had disappeared.”

“Leave him to us.” Olkin said. “Steen and I were Lady Impa’s personal guards before you two took over.” He was holding a shield of the mind’s eye and a serpentine spear. 

“That’s right, and we’ve both had our fair share of Yiga.” Steen said, readying his phrenic bow. 

Eji looked at the group. “This is the Sheikah’s first line of defense? A few geriatrics?” 

Cado didn’t hesitate, he drew his sword and charged the blademaster. Eji blocked it but was soon attacked from another side by Olkin’s spear. He grunted in pain as the spearhead hit it’s mark, then jumped away. 

Eji realized that melee would be too dangerous against multiple targets, but he had plenty of powerful ranged attacks. As he was about to create another gust of wind with his sword, he noticed Cado ducking behind Olkin’s shield, and heard the unmistakable sound of a bomb arrow. Steen was aiming, and fired. 

The explosion threw him back, but he caught himself and landed on his feet. He was injured badly now, he had to end this. He raised his hand and charged up his spell, when he noticed the very same red glow mirrored from across the battle.

Impa thrust her hand towards the ground and the spell ripped through the earth towards the blademaster. It hit him full force. Aita watched in awe as huge rock spires burst from the ground beneath Eji; the spell was at least twice the magnitude that his had been, and tossed him up in the air like a rag doll. He fell back to the ground with a loud and deep thud.

They all watched intently for any sign of life, until Eji rolled over onto his back with a strained, painful groan. Aita cringed watching his legs remain unnaturally limp; he had broken them in the fall, no doubt along with a few ribs and other bones. The other half of his mask had come off revealing his full face; Eji was sweating and grimacing from the pain. 

Cado took a step forward. “You’re not getting out of this. Even if your arms and hands aren’t broken, in the state you’re in, your teleportation spell will fail. I wouldn’t risk it, give up.” he said.

Eji said nothing, but turned his head and sent a final glare towards Dorian and Aita. Aita had never seen his eyes before; and could never have believed that anyone’s eyes could be so filled with hatred. Despite Cado’s warnings, Eji raised his hands over his chest, formed the sign, and disappeared.

“Don’t worry about him. Cado, help Aita get Dorian to his feet.” Impa ordered, and Cado rushed to Dorian’s side. Together, they lifted him up.

“I’m sorry Dorian, you only got hurt because you tried to save me.” Aita said. “I was pretty useless in that fight.”

“No, I’m alright.” Dorian said, despite not sounding very alright. “And if you hadn’t warned Claree and came when you did, I’d be in worse shape, I’m sure.”

“Don’t worry, Dorian.” Impa said. “Lucky for you, there’s a fairy fountain nearby.”

“Impa, can I ask you something?” Aita said. “I thought the Sheikah didn’t do magic, how were you able to use that spell against him?”

Impa smiled. “We don’t, usually.” She responded “But, what kind of Sheikah elder would I be if I didn’t keep our old traditions alive? After all, the magic that the Yiga Clan uses comes from ancient Sheikah techniques. They seem to believe they’ve mastered it, but if anything it appears to only have been watered down in their hands.”

Aita thought for a moment. Perhaps there was still a chance he could still do magic after all; he hadn’t even tried since he left the clan. 

He glanced down at the glowing stone orb. “Oh, I forgot about that, its the Sheikah Heirloom, isn’t it?” Aita said. “What should we do with it?”

Impa looked over to the matching glowing platform. It had an indentation in the center, the exact same size as the heirloom. “...It’s a little obvious, isn’t it? I know it’s unceremonious, but we might as well save Link a little effort.”

Olkin and Steen lifted the heirloom together and placed it on the platform. Both the artifacts turned from orange to blue, and everyone watched as a new shrine raised up from the ground in front of them. 

 

Eji landed in the snow. He was somewhere in the Gerudo Highlands; the pain of his injuries destroyed his concentration and caused his aim to be fatally off. The cold stung against the bare cheeks of his face; if he wanted to survive he’d have to drag himself to the hideout with his arms, but then again, he had no idea which way the hideout was.

“M-master Eji?!” He looked up, a footsoldier was standing there, likely on a training route. He was paralyzed with shock, and Eji knew his voice. 

“Goro!” Eji yelled. “Go back to the hideout, get help, now!”

Goro didn’t move. In fact, after a moment his posture seemed to relax.

“What the hell are you waiting for, idiot?!” Eji screamed despite the pain it brought him. “Run!!”

“...I never thought this day would actually come…” Goro said, calmly. He took a few steps towards Eji. “I’ve fantasized about this moment, and now it’s actually here, I don’t believe it.”

“Are you listening to me, you worthless piece of garbage? I said, get help!” Eji spoke in a strained voice, he couldn’t bring himself to shout anymore. 

“I wouldn’t be talking like that, if I were you.” Goro knelt down. “I always thought how great it would feel; you, at my feet, begging me for something for once. I gotta say, it feels pretty good!” He said. 

Eji was speechless.

“Do you have any idea how much I hate you? You spend a good chunk of your life just trying to impress somebody, trying to do what they want, only to get told that you’re not good enough, you’re lazy, you’re weak. Any idea what that’s like? Eventually you just give up.” Goro continued. He scooped up some snow and began to form it into a ball. “I could never be as good as Aita or Kei, huh? So why even bother? Even after I found something I was good at, it just wasn’t good enough, was it?” He said, and crushed the snowball against the side of Eji’s head.

“...Why...why must all three of my students become traitors?” Eji said.

Goro laughed. “Did Aita do this to you? Or Kei? I had a feeling. Or maybe it was one of the other dozens of people you’ve made feel miserable over the years.”

“So, what?” Eji said, bitterly. “Is this what you want, to let me die here? Will that solve all your problems, Goro?”

“I don’t know what would solve my problems, I was waiting for you to offer something.” Goro said. “It better be worth your life.”

Eji hesitated. “...I’ll promote you to blademaster.” he said. It was getting hard to breathe.

“Oh! That’s quite an offer.” Goro said. “How about this: you promote me to blademaster, and then support me when I want to take over as clan leader after all this Kohga business is over with.” 

He scowled, but eventually spoke. “...Fine.”

“Ha! I was kidding, I just wanted to see how far you’d go. Truth is, leaving you to die here would solve plenty of my problems.” Goro stood up. “You always root for the winning team, Master Eji, and I think we all know this ship’s been sinking for a while. The hero beat the last divine beast days ago; he’s basically unstoppable at this point. After he defeats Calamity Ganon, all the monsters across Hyrule will return to their mindless, harmless selves. And once its safe to travel across the desert again, the gerudo will be at our door. I’m not going to be around here for that, but the good news for you is that you won’t, either.” Goro turned and began walking away.

“Goro...come back here. Coward!” Eji said.

Goro didn’t stop, just waved a hand over his shoulder. “Goodbye, sir! It’s been fun.”


	22. Sahasra Slope Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita decides to regain his lost magic ability.

Aita found Paya polishing the stone statues outside Impa’s house. He had never concerned himself much with her, outside of doing a few errands and the occasional small talk. She always seemed busy, or off in her own little world. He normally wouldn’t have bothered her, but something had been on his mind since the battle with Eji a few days prior.

“Heeey, good morning, Paya.” Aita said, awkwardly. 

She jumped slightly and turned to face him. “A-Aita, good morning! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“Yeah. Uh, I had some questions. About the Sheikah.”

“Really?” Paya stood up and looked excited. “I’m happy to hear that you want to learn more about our culture, Aita! Please, ask away!”

“Why don’t you guys do any magic?” He asked. “It’s clear that Impa can, why hasn’t anyone else learned?”

Paya looked a bit taken aback. “You saw grandmother do magic? That must have been quite the battle, indeed...” She said. “To answer your question, long ago the Sheikah were looked down upon and ostracized by the rest of Hyrule because of our magical abilities and our technology. Instead of separating ourselves from Hyrule, we left behind our magic and chose instead to live simple lives!”

“Well, yeah, I already knew that.” Aita frowned. “But that was what, centuries ago? Millenia? Why do you care what a bunch of dead people think?”

“O-oh, um…” Paya said, shyly. “I’m sorry, I don’t really know. It’s just always been that way.”

Aita sighed. He was about to walk away before Paya stopped him. 

“Wait! Aita, you, um…” She stammered. “Considering, the uh...where you’re from...can you do any magic? What’s it like?”

“I could but, I don’t think I can anymore. I’ve been trying to test it on and off for the last few days but I haven’t been able to make anything happen.” Aita replied, solemnly. “Do you want to do magic, Paya?”

“W-well I’ve always been a little curious...grandmother said that she would teach me someday so that I can keep the ancient traditions alive, but...she hasn’t done it yet…”

“...Follow me.” Aita said, suddenly, and began walking towards the stairs to Impa’s house. Paya followed, curious.

“Did you want to speak with grandmother?” She asked, but Aita didn’t respond. He opened the front door to Impa’s house and found her inside, enjoying a cup of tea. 

“Aita, what a pleasant surprise. Can I do something for you?” Impa greeted him. 

“Teach us how to do magic, Impa.” Aita said, bluntly. 

Impa was silent, and Paya gasped softly. “Ah, grandmother, h-he’s not serious, we were just talking about it outside, and-”

“I am serious.” Aita said. “You told Paya you’d teach her, and I want to relearn it too; somehow I’ve forgotten.”

“The Sheikah don’t practice magic, not like the Yiga Clan.” Impa replied. “I should think that if you had really left them, you would also leave their magic behind.”

“But magic doesn’t just belong to the Yiga.” Aita argued. “Am I not just trying to reconnect to Sheikah ancestry? You said yourself; it got got diluted and weak in the Yiga Clan, why not take it back?”

“Our ancestors already made that choice long ago; we chose to live in harmony with Hyrule instead of opposed to it.”

Aita let out a groan of frustration. “That was ages ago! Most Hylians way back then would have looked at a Zora or a Rito and thought they were monsters, people were stupid! Right now, Link is using your ancestors’ technology and magic to save the world, do you really think people are still going to ostracize you for that?”

“Did you forget that it was Sheikah technology and magic that was the destructive force behind the calamity? The guardians and the divine beasts, creations of our tribe that were used for senseless violence and killing.” Impa said, bitterly. “I lost six of my best friends to those creations; four of them killed, one mortally injured to later lose all his memories of us, and one to sacrifice her freedom for a century to try to keep alive a modicum of hope.”

Aita was quiet for a moment, trying to phrase his words more gently. “...I know, I’m sorry that happened.” He began. “But maybe if the Sheikah had kept all their knowledge about their technology and magic alive, they could have prevented the calamity. You would have already understood the guardians and the divine beasts instead of starting over from scratch. Maybe you could have fixed them so they were impervious to Ganon’s control. They’re not evil things, they were just taken by something evil and used by it. Like...Iike I was.”

Paya stepped forward. “I agree with him, grandmother. Sheikah magic and technology has always innately connected! Perhaps if we can understand one, the other will come easier.” She said. “After Calamity Ganon is defeated, all the guardians will be in our control again. We shouldn’t dispose of them. We should improve them so that in the future, should Ganon return, they’ll stay loyal and defend us as they were intended to!”

Impa pondered this for several moments, then spoke softly. “...I can’t say that I’m ready for us to take such a drastic step so suddenly. But, the fact of the matter is that one day you’ll be the leader of this village, Paya. If you think it’s best to lead the Sheikah down that path, it will be your choice.” She said. “I did promise I would teach you magic, didn’t I? And Aita...you seem determined enough to force yourself to relearn it even without my help, is that right?”

Aita was honest, and nodded.

“Then I suppose it’s already been decided.” Impa said. “We’ll start bright and early tomorrow.”

 

The night passed quickly, and sunrise the following day Aita met them outside Impa’s house. With Aita walking alongside, Paya and Impa rode Haran out of the western gate to the Sahasra Slope; a long, grassy hillside leading to the Lanayru Wetlands and Central Hyrule. The castle dominated the landscape as they stepped out into the open; the ominous red glow of malice standing out against the still dim sky. Aita let Haran loose to wander the plain, he seemed to be tired of being stuck in a village for so long, and Aita could relate. 

“Are you nervous?” Aita asked, noticing Paya was looking uneasy.

“A little bit…” She admitted. “I’ve never done anything like this before, what if I mess up?”

“You’ll be fine.” Aita said. “It’s tricky for everyone at first, but you’ll catch on. If you need any advice just let me know. I’m sure as soon as I get a little refresher course, it’ll all come back to me.”

“O-okay! Thank you Aita!” Paya said. “I’m lucky to have two experienced magic users to teach me now, instead of only grandmother.”

With Aita feeling a swell of pride, Impa began the lesson. She set down a pillow in the grass and sat on it, then asked the two students to do so as well. Aita sat down. The ground was slightly wet from the cold night prior, but now that the sun had risen he could see faint plumes of mist rising from the grass around them as the dew evaporated in the early sunlight.

“All that magic is, is an expression of your desires.” Impa stated plainly. “It needs a strong will, passion, and a clear goal. This goal needs to be grand, but specific. I want you both to think of something that you want.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Aita bit his cheek in contemplation. This hadn’t been part of his Yiga training. He never knew that magic was dependent on motivation and goals. When he was learning magic, the blademasters had told him what his goal should be; kill the hero, bring glory to Ganon and the Clan. He didn’t want those things anymore so it would make perfect sense that he couldn’t do magic now.

“I think I’ve got something in mind!” Paya said. “Um, should I tell you?”

“Not if you don’t want to, you can keep it to yourself Paya.” Impa said. “And you, Aita?”

“Uh, yeah I think so.” Aita lied. He had a few ideas that would probably work.

“Good. Aita, why don’t you show Paya the sign to teleport?” Impa asked. Aita formed the hand symbol by muscle memory, and Paya studied and copied it. “Now, take a moment to focus on the western gate we exited. Envision it in your mind, and hold onto your goal; realize that by making this happen, you are one step closer to achieving your goal! Then, form the sign, and go.”

Aita frowned, it was hardly good instructions. While contemplating on whether or not he should attempt the tried and true method he was used to, there was an explosion of smoke beside him, and suddenly Paya was gone.

Impa laughed. “She’s always been a fast learner. Go on, Aita.”

Aita blushed and concentrated again. He thought about the western gate; the dark wood wrapped with red rope, decorated with flags bearing the Sheikah emblem, and the tall cliffs on either side. And his goal...well, he wanted to overcome how the Yiga Clan had raised him. He wanted to be a good person. That was strong enough, it had to be.

He focused on the thoughts for a moment longer, when Paya came running back from the village. “I did it!” She cheered. “It was fun!”

“Good work, Paya! You’re a natural.” Impa said. “Keep practicing at it. Try different locations if you like, but nothing farther than walking distance for now.”

She skipped back to her place beside Aita and noticed him still in concentration. “Oh, Aita, I thought you would have been right behind me. Is everything alright?” She asked.

“It’s fine, I’ll get it.” he said, curtly.

“Okay, I believe in you.” Paya said, then formed the signal again and was gone.

Aita took a deep breath to calm his frustration. Fine, another goal. He thought hard for something else he wanted...maybe to keep living in Kakariko with Dorian? No, that wasn’t a goal, he wasn’t even sure if that’s what he really wanted. To help Link? Maybe, but how? Link didn’t need his help.

“You sure you’re okay, Aita?” Paya asked. “You haven’t teleported once.” 

Aita opened his eyes. The sun was much higher in the sky now, and he realized that Paya had been coming and going the entire time he was concentrating. His hands felt sore from holding the sign for so long.

“I’m not used to this method, okay?! It’s too different from what we learned in training.” Aita snapped, his cheeks warm from embarrassment. 

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Aita. No one said it would be easy.” Impa said.

“But it should be easy, for me!” He responded. “I’ve already done all this.”

“Yes, before your life changed completely, right?” Impa said. “And I’m sure if you were still living in that world, you would still be able to do it the way you always have. But, there’s no going back is there?”

Aita sighed and turned away, facing out towards the field and the castle. Paya stepped up behind him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

“It’s alright! Maybe you just need a little more time to think of something, maybe we can brainstorm it together for a bit?” She said.

Aita opened his mouth to tell her that idea sounded even more embarrassing, but was interrupted by a deep rumbling to the north. The turned and saw a faint silhouette of something enormous moving at the summit of Death Mountain; Vah Rudania. Aita could barely make it out as its face opened up like a flower, and a red beam of light silently shot out and hit Hyrule Castle as the divine beast took aim. All four of the beasts were now ready and focused, creating a great red X across the sky, centered on the castle.

“My, my…” Impa said. “He’s done it.”

 

Aita waited impatiently on Dorian’s front porch. It was right by the main road through Kakariko, if Link were coming at all, he’d be traveling by here. It was impossible to tell how long it’d be; Aita didn’t know if he had any other responsibilities he needed to attend to on Death Mountain or with the Gorons, and if he was traveling by horse it could be days. But once he saw Vah Rudania activate, it was confirmation that Link was on his way back, and that was enough.

Suddenly, while Aita was lost in thought, Link ran right by. Almost offended, Aita got up and started following him down the road, calling out to him. Link stopped in surprise and turned around, staring for a moment.

“...Aita?” Link said.

“Uh...hey.” Aita responded, awkwardly. 

A great smile appeared on Link’s face and he ran back up the road and embraced Aita, almost knocking him over. “Aita!” he said. “Look at you! Your hair, your clothes!”

Aita laughed. “Yeah, I guess I look like a real Sheikah now, huh?”

“You fooled me, I didn’t even recognize you!!” Link said.

“Oh, you probably have to go and talk to Impa, don’t you?” Aita said. “I’ll wait here.”

“No, that’s alright! I’d rather talk to you, first.” Link grinned. 

They walked up the road behind Dorian’s house towards the Great Fairy Fountain and settled beneath an apple tree at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the village. Just a ways behind them was the Ta’loh Naeg Shrine.

“You teleported here with the Sheikah Slate, right?” Aita asked, sitting down under the tree. “Where’s Nima?”

“I boarded her at the Foothill Stable, below Death Mountain.” Link responded. “I didn’t want to risk taking her up onto the volcano, and then I came here as fast as I could after Rudania.”

As Link sat down beside the tree, Aita couldn’t help but notice a familiar sword on his back.

“Hey!!” he said, excited. “That sword!! The one that the tree wouldn’t give you, you got it!!”

“Oh! Right!” Link said, and unsheathed the long, sparkling blade of the Master Sword. “The Korok Forest is so close to Death Mountain, I thought I’d give it another shot while I was there. I guess that’s why it took me a little longer than usual.”

Aita looked into the glimmering metal of the sword. “Give it another shot?” he said. “Weren’t you told that you’d die if you tried it again before you were ready, and you just thought you’d give it another go because you were nearby?”

Link laughed. “Yeah! I don’t know, I guess I just kind of felt like I was ready this time.”

“And how was Death Mountain?”

“Hot. You made the right choice, staying here.” Link said. They sat quietly for a moment, listening to the crickets begin to sing as it grew closer to evening. “I was thinking about something. Remember that time on the beach, right after we started hanging out?”

“Mm, not really. That seems like so long ago. During the thunderstorm, right?” Aita replied.

“Yeah! And you...ha, well you kinda beat some sense into me, didn’t you? I was so scared to remember the rest of the champions because I thought...I don’t know, like they’d blame me or something? But I remember all of them now, and none of them felt that way. And I’m remembering more and more about Zelda every day. I feel like I understand more, like I’m closer to being the person that I was before...but different. Better, maybe.” Link lightly ran his hand against the flat surface of the sword, stopping to feel the triangular shaped symbol engraved near the hilt. He reached back and put the blade back in its sheath. “I guess what I’m saying is, I’m really glad I met you. I don’t think I could have done this without someone to kick me into gear, y’know? I mean, for other reasons too, but…”

“Yeah.” Aita said. “I’m sure you would have gotten to it eventually, but I would still be miserable in the Yiga Clan so, I guess it worked out best this way, huh?”

“Anyway, tell me about what happened here! How’d your hair turn white so fast?”

Aita told him about Dorian, Koko and Cottla, about getting to know the other villagers and working for them, about the battle with Eji, and trying to relearn magic.

“Wow, you’ve been busy!” Link said. “Do you like it here, now?”

Aita looked out over the village. “...I guess so. It’s probably the closest thing to a home I’ve ever had. I’m still not sure.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Link smiled. “I’ve been a little worried.”

“Why?” Aita asked.

Link shifted a bit, nervously. “I guess I’ve just been trying to imagine what you would do if I were gone. It’s because of me that you left the Yiga Clan; the thought of you just being lost if something happens to me, I don’t know, it made me upset. I feel better knowing that there’s people looking out for you, here.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Aita said, annoyed. “What do you mean if something happens to you, are you going to do something stupid?”

Link looked a little surprised. “Well...yeah, I kind of am. I’ve recovered all the divine beasts. All that’s left is to go to Hyrule Castle and fight Ganon. It’s now or never.”

Aita couldn’t say anything for a few moments; how could he have just forgotten what was coming? The inevitable. It always seemed like it was still so far away. Link, the little Hylian that gets excited about horses and food, against Calamity Ganon, a force of pure power and evil, a being that he used to regard as a god.

“Are you okay, Aita? You look a little pale.” Link said, and Aita felt his hand on his back.

“...You said you’re closer to being the person you were before, right? The hero that single handedly fought off Calamity Ganon’s army?” Aita asked.

Link nodded slowly. “I think so. It’s hard to be sure.”

“You’d better be sure.” Aita said. “That hero could do it; and if you say you’re better than him now, then I believe you.”

 

The next morning, Aita insisted that Link take Haran to Hyrule Castle instead of going on foot. They walked out the western gate, Link leading Haran by his reigns, and stopped at the crest of the Sahasra Slope. Dead ahead was central Hyrule and the castle.

It seemed like there was nothing to say, nothing Aita could think of to sum everything up. ‘I’ll miss you’ or ‘thanks for everything’ seemed too defeated, as if Link was walking into a suicide mission, but a simple ‘goodbye’ seemed too small for what could possibly be their last words.

Aita swallowed his worries and his anxious thoughts, turned to Link and said “Good luck.”

Link smiled warmly. “Thanks.” he said. “I’ll be back.”

He reached out and delicately touched Aita’s jaw and his neck, his thumb brushing by his cheek. Before he could react to the contact, Link leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Aita’s. The world seemed to stop, even the oppressive castle faded away in his mind. It was just the two of them, standing in the grass, in a kiss.

Link’s fingertips softly grazed Aita’s face as he pulled away. Without another word, he hoisted himself up onto Haran’s back and they galloped away. Aita stood there on the crest of the hill, watching him go until he was nothing but a faint black speck in the distance, his breath still lost to him.


	23. Sahasra Slope Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend returns to Link's life, as well as Aita's.

Aita wasn’t quite himself for the rest of the day. After Link left, he tried to practice magic again with Impa and Paya, but couldn’t concentrate. Cottla told him he was “being boring” after she wanted to play with him but he didn’t do much more than stare off into space. Dorian asked if he was alright when he barely touched his dinner, but he only gave a short, non-committal answer. 

That night as he lay awake in bed, he heard a distant roar from Central Hyrule. He sat up; it had to be Ganon. As he pulled himself out of bed, it was shortly followed by the sound of a far-off explosion. Aita rushed to pull on his coat and sprinted outside. He didn’t stop until he reached the Sahasra Slope; a clear view to the castle. He hadn’t even heard Dorian calling out to him until after he stopped running. 

“Aita!” Dorian yelled, finally catching up to him. “What’s wrong, where are you going?”

Aita strained his eyes towards the castle. It was difficult to see in the dark, but he could see a faint, golden light at the center go extinguished. He turned to address Dorian, who’d no doubt seen him run by during his night shift. “You heard something too, right?” He said, breathless. “I think it’s Link, I think he’s-”

He stopped speaking as the air around him was suddenly filled with static. There was a tingling on his skin, and the space around them was filled with energy. Dorian felt it too, and turned around to Vah Ruta looming on the mountains behind them; she was glowing bright, a ball of brilliant white light gathering between her tusks. Aita could see across Hyrule there were three more points of blinding light, one at each Divine Beast. 

All at once, the energy was released as four enormous beams fired by the beasts, converging at Hyrule Castle. Dorian grabbed Aita in shock and fear at the dramatic, awesome display. Aita stared forward at the castle as the deep rumbling hum of their strike shook the earth around them. The beams of light focused and grew in intensity, collecting inside the castle, and then, shrunk away to nothing. The two of them stood in shock, Dorian still holding Aita tight in his arms.

It was unnaturally quiet as if all of Hyrule was still and focused, when the silence was interrupted by a rapid succession of distant and deep sounds within the castle. Dorian relaxed and let Aita go, and Aita realized he had been holding his breath. 

“So it’s finally happening, is it?” They heard Impa’s voice behind them. As usual she was accompanied by Paya. 

“Lady Impa!” Dorian said. “Link is facing Calamity Ganon as we speak, we should return to the village, it’s not safe out here.”

“I’ve waited for this moment for 100 years, Dorian.” Impa said, a hint of excitement to her voice. “I wouldn’t miss this for my life.”

The four of them waited and watched. Everything was still. Aita’s heart pounded as as the sounds from within the castle continued. What could Link possibly be going through, now? Just what was he facing? That clueless, unkempt little Hylian he’d met at the beginning, the hero he had tried to kill. During all this time he’d never seemed to fit his expectations of the grand, dangerous legendary hero he’d always been told of. But now, it was hard to reconcile the image of Link, his best friend, with the hero that was facing the greatest evil Hyrule had ever known.

“Look.” Impa whispered. “It’s beginning.”

A darkness was gathering in Central Hyrule. Aita shivered; heavy clouds were rolling across the sky above them and a cold wind was picking up. Out of the swirling cloud of blackness in the distance, something solid emerged. It was difficult to make out from so far away, but Aita could see two huge tusks and a monstrous body burning with white and red flame. It roared in fury, a sound so loud he covered his ears. Every step it took seemed to shake the ground beneath them.

“That...that’s Ganon?” Aita said. His voice was trembling. 

“It is.” Impa replied. “Dorian, go to your daughters. If Link is not victorious...this may be our last few moments in this world.” Dorian ran back to the village without another word.

“Grandmother…” Paya whimpered. “You don’t think that’s possible, is it? For Link to fail? Do you think he’s going to be able to do it?”

“Yes.” Aita interrupted. “He will.”

His heart was racing, he couldn’t possibly see Link in the battle but he looked anyway. There were small flicks of golden light among the darkness and fire. The central field was burning all around the monster. He was afraid. If Link were to fail, this horror would turn to level Hyrule to nothing but ash, but Aita refused to consider that. There was something in him that was stronger than the fear. Only hours ago he had stood here with Link. He held onto the hope in his promise, “I’ll be back”, and the kiss…

After a long battle, a point of golden light erupted from Ganon’s back and slowly floated down to the ground below it, the brilliance of it drowning out the monster’s fiery glow. Impa gasped and the wind whipped around them. The monster was still, seeming to tremble in fear as the light grew brighter and brighter. Ganon’s form melted away as it tried to escape as an enormous plume of black smoke, twisting and writhing in the sky. But the light only became brighter, illuminating the landscape around them as if it were daylight. Aita shielded his eyes as it grew into a huge sphere of brilliance, overtaking and absorbing the remnants of Ganon. As soon as the darkness had been absorbed, it disappeared, shrinking to nothing in the center of the field. 

As soon as it had come, the wind slowed, and the dark clouds cleared away. The sun was now peeking up over the mountains, bathing the land in light. And Hyrule Castle stood in the center of it all, no longer haunted by malice and evil, but clear and safe.

 

Days later, Koko came into Dorian’s house out of the pouring rain. Aita was sat with Cottla on the floor, watching her draw with ink and paper. It was evening, and Dorian had just left for his night shift.

“Aita?” Koko asked. “Do you know a pretty girl?”

Aita looked up at her. “Is that a trick question? Do you want me to say that Koko and Cottla are pretty girls?”

Cottla giggled and kicked her legs, but Koko frowned. “No, I’m serious! A pretty girl with long hair and a white dress, do you know her?”

“Oh.” Aita thought. “I don’t know, I guess not. Why do you ask?”

Koko pointed towards the door. “‘Cause Link just rode by with her on your horse towards Miss Impa’s house.”

Aita scrambled to get up and ran towards the door, leaving without a word. He looked down the road to Impa’s house and just saw her door close, catching a glimpse of white fabric through the rain. He ran through the village and up the stairs to the house, breathless when he reached the doors, and opened them without thinking.

He was shocked to see Impa, arms wrapped around a young woman, her face buried in her shoulder. They were both crying. Paya knelt nearby, a comforting hand on her grandmother’s back, but eyes fixated on the strange girl. Link stood quietly off to the side; he turned as Aita entered, smiled softly, but didn’t interrupt. He looked tired.

“It’s been so long…” Impa sobbed. “Sometimes, I thought I would never see you again.”

“I know, Impa. I’m so sorry…” the girl cried.

When they seemed to calm down, Link stepped towards Aita. “I want to introduce you to someone.” He said, and guestered to the girl. “This is Princess Zelda.” 

The girl turned to face them; her face was red from tears, her long blonde hair was wet with rain and she was wearing a tattered, white dress. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and spoke with a soft voice. “Hello, who’s this?”

“This is Aita.” Link said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I was telling you about him, remember?”

“Ah, yes.” Zelda said. She looked exhausted. “It’s a pleasure.”

“Oh, just look at you, dear. You’re a mess.” Impa said. “Paya, would you prepare a bath for Zelda, please?”

Paya’s face turned bright red as she got to her feet. “Y-yes of course!” She turned and ran upstairs.

“Sorry…” Link said. “I’m happy to see you, but...it’s been a long trip for us. I’ll talk to you in the morning, okay?” 

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Aita said. “Um, goodnight.”

He stepped back out into the rain, feeling awkward. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t that. Of course, he couldn’t expect Link to immediately give an explanation for his...goodbye. But, he couldn’t help but feel a bit sidelined.

 

The following morning, Aita saw Link and Zelda together again, watching Cado’s cuckoos in their pen. He approached them, trying to think of an appropriate greeting, but Zelda saw him first.

“Oh, Aita, was it?” She said, cheerfully. “I’m sorry about last night, that wasn’t a very proper introduction. My name is Zelda, it’s nice to meet you.” She curtsied, and Aita bit his lip to keep from cringing; she really was a princess. She was no longer wearing the white dress, but instead a more casual outfit, one which annoyingly coordinated with Link’s sky blue tunic.

“Yeah, its uh. It’s good to meet you too.” Aita said, feeling awkward again. 

“I’m so happy to see the Sheikah still thriving after the Calamity!” Zelda said. “Without your people, Link and I wouldn’t be here today. We, and Hyrule as a whole, owe so much to you.”

Aita forced himself not to grimace. “Riiight.” He said. “My people. Of course.” Link must not have told her that he was from the Yiga Clan...why would he? Perhaps he was trying to protect Aita’s privacy. Maybe he was embarrassed. 

“I was just telling Zelda about Teba and Saki, in the Rito Village.” Link said. “She says she really wants to go meet them, and pay respect to Revali, too.”

“Yes! I’m so excited to see Hebra again!” Zelda exclaimed. “And you have to take me back to Death Mountain, as well!”

“Yeah! Did you know that Daruk has a descendant? His name is Yunobo, he’s so funny. Oh, and do you remember Sidon?”

“Of course! Mipha’s little brother?”

“Haha, well he’s not so little anymore. He’s about eight feet tall!”

“What?! No way!! He was such a little small fry the last I saw him; I can’t wait to see him again!”

Aita stood quietly while the two laughed. He had no idea who any of these people were. 

“We were just about to have some breakfast, Aita.” Zelda said. “Won’t you join us?”

He hesitated, but agreed. After all, he did want to spend more time with Link. They cooked up some eggs into omelettes and enjoyed them in the village, but Aita was disappointed to find that they two of them just kept talking about things he didn’t understand; people he’d only ever heard of in passing. He tried to get a word in edgewise, but his contributions to the conversation only ever amounted to questions; “She’s the Gerudo chief, right?” “Who’s Robbie?” “Wait, Purah is Impa’s older sister, but she’s a child?” Eventually he began to fear his sheltered upbringing was becoming too obvious, and quieted down.

After they’d eaten, Link stood up. “Alright, are you ready to go, then?” he asked Zelda.

“What?” Aita said. “Where are you going?”

“Zelda said she wanted to see Sidon again. Zora’s Domain is the closest, anyway.” Link said.

“That sounds wonderful! Why don’t you join us, Aita?” Zelda asked.

“Oh. Uh, yeah. I don’t know.” Aita said.

“You should.” Link said. “You’ve been cooped up in this village for so long, it’ll be nice.”

Eventually, Aita agreed. They prepared everything for the trip; Link and Zelda had rode Haran and Nima into town, so they agreed that Aita would ride Haran while Link and Zelda shared Nima. As they were ready to go, Paya approached them with a bag of her own.

“E-excuse me! I’m sorry if this is out of line but, may I join you?!” She asked, he cheeks were pink. “Grandmother says that if I’m to be leader of the Sheikah one day, I should have a good relationship with the leaders of other peoples of Hyrule; I’d be honored if you would let me accompany you to Zora’s Domain!”

Link and Zelda eagerly agreed, and Paya shyly joined Aita in his saddle; he was glad to no longer be a third wheel. They rode out through the southern gate. Aita shielded his eyes as they exited the shade and stepped out on the Sahasra Slope, the sun was bright and the air was clear. The world had never been so lively. 

“It’s so strange to see the castle like this.” Paya commented. “All my life it’s been a symbol of fear. I suppose now it’s just a regular building.”

“Someday, it will be a symbol of hope.” Zelda said. “We’re going to rebuild Hyrule. It will be greater kingdom than this land has ever known, one built from truth, knowledge, and above all else, peace. A century of fear and darkness...it’s all come to an end.”

Aita rolled his eyes at the platitudes. She was the very last of the royal family, he didn’t know how she expected to rebuild a monarchy by herself. Perhaps it was for the best that the kingdom stay dead.

“Oh, Zelda, that’s lovely!” Paya said.

“Yes...” Link said. “It feels like things are normal, again.”

Aita didn’t say anything. What was normal to Link, he wondered? Did he...did he have all his memories back, now? Aita stared into the back of his head as if he could see into his mind and tell for sure. Could that mean that the Link that was here now was a different Link than before? He frowned at the thought; what if he had remembered something that somehow changed him? Somehow changed his feelings for him.

Normal. Did normal mean returning to Zelda’s side as her shining knight?

They continued on, making a short detour to the Wetland Stable where Link took out two more horses; a speckled gray one named Quince, which Paya took, and reddish one named Crenel, which Link took, leaving Nima with Zelda. Aita could only assume that as soon as the two of them had parted so long ago, Link went ahead and caught just about every horse he could find.

Now that they each had their own ride, the four of them doubled back and crossed through the Lanayru Wetlands. They passed by a pair of Lizalfos who regarded them with curiosity and caution, not aggression.

“I’m glad.” Zelda remarked. “Even the creatures that we called monsters were just pawns of Ganon. They were under his command through no fault of their own. It’s good to see that they’ve made peace with Hyrule; they deserve to live as happily as any of us.”

Through no fault of their own, huh? Aita wondered how she thought of the Yiga Clan, serving under Ganon by their own volition. Could such an action possibly be forgivable? 

In the distance, they saw the spider-like legs of a guardian traipsing through the water. It was likely the same one that Link and Aita had taken down together; resurrected at some point by Ganon’s power. Link didn’t take his eyes off it, and Aita saw him visibly tense up as the mechanical creature regarded them, and ignored them. He knew Link would probably be afraid of the guardians for a long time, bringing it up might just embarrass him.

“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” Zelda spoke softly. “I know, it’s alright. They won’t attack anymore.”

“I know that…” Link said. “I still just think about that day.”

Zelda smiled. “It’s okay, I’m here. That day is long behind us, we got through it. And look, see? It’s already passed us by.”

“Yeah...we should do something about those, though.” Link said. “Even if they’re not aggressive, it’s not good to keep such powerful weapons roaming Hyrule unsupervised…”

“That’s true, but you shouldn’t worry about it.” Zelda said. “You don’t have to take responsibility for everything. If you’re not comfortable, we can find someone else to handle them. I’m sure Robbie or Purah would be more than able.”

“You’re right. Thank you.”

Aita watched the interaction with confusion. How did she know just what to say? How did she so easily settle his worries? Just how close were these two??

“They get along well, don’t they?” Paya said quietly, riding up beside Aita so that Link and Zelda couldn’t hear. “I guess it makes sense, technically they’ve known each other for longer than we’ve been alive.” She frowned.

“No.” Aita corrected. “They knew each other before we were alive; they haven’t been together this whole time.”

“Well, no, I guess not.” Paya said. “But it sort of feels like that, doesn’t it? They way they talk...it’s like it’s only been a day, not 100 years.”

Aita didn’t reply. He felt annoyed and frustrated, but also sad. He considered for a moment that the Yiga Clan had been right about Zelda, trying to justify these emotions, but thought back to how angry Link had been when he had said such things about her, and was overcome with guilt as well. Maybe Link had always preferred her. He had been spending all this time trying to save her, of course. It would only make sense.

They reached the mouth of the Zora River and started upstream. Aita thought about meeting the Zora prince; surely they would all regale themselves with their thoughts of the past and more people Aita didn’t know, more memories that Aita was unfamiliar with. Even Paya was more familiar with these things; no doubt that Impa had already filled her in. He hated feeling like he was the only one not included in the celebration. He realized that he was dreading it.

“Shoot. I just remembered something.” Aita said, pulling Haran to a stop. “I promised Koko I would get a crab for her to cook. I’ve gotta go back a little bit, I’ll catch up.”

“Oh, okay.” Link said. “Would you like us to go with you?”

“Yes, crab sounds nice! We can stop and cook some for lunch.” Zelda said.

“No! No, that’s alright. You guys keep going.” Aita said, already turning Haran around back towards the wetlands. “I don’t want to hold you up. Zora’s Domain is at the end of this road, isn’t it? I’ll be right behind you.”

The three of them hesitated for a moment. “...Alright, if you’re sure. We’ll see you there.” Link said, and they continued up the road.

Aita sighed and backtracked down the road. Instead of going south through the wetlands, he turned and headed northwest towards Zelo Pond; maybe taking the long way back to Kakariko would give him some more time to clear his head. Haran walked through the sand, scaring away the crabs that gathered at the water’s edge. He had lied about Koko, of course, but it was for the best. This way, he didn’t have to intrude on their reunion. They would probably have a better time without him, anyway.

Haran stopped suddenly. He raised his head to look around, ears pinned back. “...Haran?” Aita said. “C’mon, go. I thought you were gonna stop being stubborn and start listening to m-”

A violent gust of wind knocked Aita to the ground as Haran reared up in shock and galloped down the beach. Aita pulled himself up and saw a cloaked figure walking towards him, carrying a long sword. The cloak was a dirty white with some kind of red design on it. It was the Yiga Clan symbol; this wasn’t a real cloak, but a banner than had been stolen from the hideout entrance. And the blade; it was unmistakably a wind cleaver, a blademaster weapon.

Before Aita could ask any questions, the figure removed their hood to reveal a familiar face.

“So, a bokoblin, huh? Are you going to tell me a bokoblin gave you those Sheikah clothes, too?” Kei sneered.


	24. Zelo Pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aita faces off with Kei, and learns something important from Link.

Link, Zelda and Paya continued up the Zora River. Eventually the road became too rough to continue on horse, so they left Nima, Quince and Crenel behind with a nice patch of grass and easy access to the river, trusting that they would be good and stay put. They walked further upriver on foot. 

Zelda and Paya talked as they went, but Link was quiet. and Zelda soon took notice. “I know that look.” She said. “What’s wrong?”

Link was surprised, he hadn’t been aware that he was even making a look. “It’s nothing! I just wish Aita was here.”

“We can still go back, if you want.” Zelda said. “It hasn’t been too long, I’m sure we’ll find him.”

“No, he asked us not to. I don’t want to seem clingy.” He blushed. “I’m already afraid I came off too strong when...y’know…”

Paya looked at him, curious. “What’s going on?” she asked, innocently. 

Zelda smiled. “Do you want me to tell her?” She asked.

Link glanced away and shyly rubbed his cheek. “Ah...y-yeah, you can.”

“He’s in love with Aita.” Zelda whispered playfully to Paya. “He wouldn’t stop talking about him on our way back from the castle, and he was really excited to spend time with him again.”

Paya gasped. “Oh my gosh!! I had no idea! My, I completely misread the situation.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zelda asked.

“Well, I guess I just assumed with how well you both got along that you two were, um, already together?” 

Zelda giggled. “Oh no no, but I guess I can see how you would think that.” She said. “Link and I have known each other since we were very young, he’s like a brother to me. We argue just as much as we get along. We’re just good friends.”

“Oh, wow! That’s a relief.” Paya said, and blushed. “I-I mean, I’m sure Aita would be relieved to hear that, too!”

“That makes me wonder, is it because of him that your personality has changed?” Zelda asked Link.

“Huh? I’ve changed?” He asked.  
“Not in a bad way! You were never so talkative and open, except maybe when we were little kids.” Zelda explained. “As soon as you started training to be a knight, you suddenly got so quiet and serious… I think part of the reason we drifted apart as teenagers is because I felt like you’d become a different person. I didn’t understand that we both had heavy responsibilities and insecurities that came with them.” She sighed. “I was cold to you back then, I should have been a better friend for you. But, you seem much happier now. I’m relieved.”

Link smiled. “Thanks, me too.”

 

Aita stared at the girl standing in front of him. “Kei?” he spoke cautiously. “...What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to make you answer for what you did, of course.” She said, matter of factly. “It took me a while to track you down, and even longer to wait for you to crawl out of that little village so I could catch you alone.”

“So you must have seen who I was just traveling with, then.” Aita said. “Since when is a traitor worth more to the Yiga Clan than the hero, the princess, and the Sheikah heir?”

“Oh, you’re not.” She said. “That’s why I left! They weren’t doing enough to stop you, so I decided that they were worthless. Now that Ganon is dead I’m sure they’re in shambles, but I’m as determined as ever.”

“If you left, that makes you a traitor, too.” He replied. “Why bother tracking me down to kill me when you’re just as guilty as I am?”

“Ha!” she laughed. “That’s rich!! You’re saying that to me, when you were the one off flirting with the hero as soon as you became a footsoldier? And look at you now, playing Sheikah dress-up! Not to mention…” She brushed aside her cloak and pulled up her right pants leg, revealing a twisted, branching scar across her skin. Aita looked away. “Don’t think I forgot. You were with him when this happened; I told you I’d get my revenge, didn’t I?!”

Aita look a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Kei. If I could have saved us without hurting you, I would have. At the time, I was afraid and desperate; had I’d known it was you I would have tried something else.”

Kei’s face changed to an expression of disgust. “Ugh, shut up! I told you before, I don’t need you taking pity on me and treating me like a child!”

“I don’t pity you, and I don’t mean to treat you like a child either.” Aita remained calm. “I’m sorry you believe that kindness is an insult.”

“You’re really pissing me off.” Kei said, and raised the windcleaver. “Fight me, now. We were always competing during training; let’s settle it and see who’s better, right now.”

Aita did have a short eightfold blade with him at Dorian’s insistence, but he didn’t move to unsheath it. “Kei no, I’m not going to fight you!” he said. 

“Why not?” She said, unpinning her makeshift cloak and letting it fall into the sand. “Afraid you’ll lose? Or are you just too good for that now that you’re such a high and mighty Sheikah?”

“No, because I want to talk to you!” Aita said. “You may hate me but I still think of you as my friend, and I already hurt you enough.”

“I told you to shut up!” Kei said. “When did you become such a pathetic loser?! Even when you were a weak little kid you were at least somewhat respectable.”

Aita clenched his fists. Her words stung, but the last thing this situation needed was for him to escalate it, too. It was difficult to act unfazed. “I know you’re angry, but there’s no point in this anymore. You’re not in the Yiga Clan, you don’t have to play their games!”

“Wow, you’re irritating!” Kei shouted. “Do you lecture all your so called ‘friends’ like this? No wonder they left you alone. You love the hero sooo much, don’t you? I bet he can’t stand you, you annoying, worthless little failure!”

“...Fine! I feel sorry for you, is that what you want me to say?!” Aita snapped as the frustration overcame him. “I think you’re the pathetic one; even though you left the clan you’re still acting like their puppet, because that’s all you know how to do! You think you’re some rogue agent because you stole a windcleaver and a tapestry? Give me a break, you have no idea what I’ve had to go through! I think you’re mad, because I did what you and everyone else always wanted, but no one had the guts to pull off: I left. That’s why you followed right behind me, using me and this stupid revenge plot as an excuse to get out and convince yourself it was your idea all along!”

Aita was pummeled again by a sharp gust of air from the windcleaver that knocked him back into the shallow waters at the edge of Zelo Pond. Kei was approaching him again, readying the blade for another blow. 

“Defend yourself.” She ordered. She swung the windcleaver down over him as he barely rolled away to avoid it. He stood up, soaking wet, and drew the eightfold blade as a precaution. 

“What’s this supposed to accomplish, Kei?!” Aita said as she turned towards him again. “Is killing me going to fix everything that the clan did to you, that they did to us?! I know I hurt you, but I wasn’t the only one, and I am the only one asking for forgiveness!” 

She swung again, her cleaver grazing off the side of Aita’s blade as he barely blocked it. He was out of practice, there was no way he was going to defeat her in a fair battle. The two blows he’d taken, although they had only been blasts of air, were hurting. 

It might have been a blademaster weapon, but she was no blademaster. The sword was far too long for her, so she wielded it awkwardly. The wind it produced was just a fraction of what a real blademaster could have done with it; he knew that firsthand from his last encounter with Eji. And what’s more, Kei was an expert at magic, but now he hadn’t seen her even try to cast anything. She hadn’t even teleported to ambush him, opting instead to stealth and follow behind him and attacking only once Haran had sensed her. Aita could only assume that she too had lost her magic. Not only did that level the playing field, but it also meant that deep down, Kei really no longer believed in the Yiga Clan teachings. She had become jaded to them, just like Aita had.

“I know it sucks learning that everything you’ve been told is a lie! Realizing everyone you used to trust and look up to were just evil, indefensible people. It hurts to admit to yourself just how much you’ve been suffering! Kei, I’ve been through it, I’m still going through it!” Aita pleaded. “But you don’t have to be like that, anymore!”

“I said, shut up!!” Kei screamed, and swung the windcleaver over him again. Aita blocked it, but the smaller and weaker eightfold blade had reached its limit. The windcleaver sliced through it, and into Aita’s chest.

Aita dropped the useless hilt and fell to his knees, clutching the bleeding wound. The windcleaver had been slowed just enough to prevent an instant fatality, but there was no way Aita could continue to fight like this.

Kei stood there holding her stolen sword, a bit shocked. She didn’t quite seem to know what to do next. He looked up to her and spoke with labored breathing and a hoarse, weak voice. “...I’m sure...you made Eji...proud.”

She was speechless, and then heard the stampede of three horses, galloping their way. She looked up just in time to see an arrow flying her way and to jumped back to dodge it. Link lept off his horse and landed gracefully between Kei and Aita. He went to draw his sword, before Zelda dismounted and stood ahead of him. 

“Link, Paya.” She said, calmly. “Care for Aita, I’ll handle this.” Paya dismounted and ran to Aita’s side, and Link turned around and eased him to the ground. 

Kei seemed a bit intimidated, but she shook it off raised the windcleaver in defiance, anyway. In response, Zelda raised a single hand outwards towards Kei. Suddenly emanating from her palm was a bright golden light, the same that Aita had seen used against Ganon. Kei shielded her eyes from the blinding display. The light pulsed out violently, and much to Aita’s surprise, had enough force to knock Kei back and send her flying several yards. She yelled as the blast hit her. When she landed in the sand, she was still.

Paya was digging through her bag, and Link was frantic. “You have something, right? Something to heal him?!”

“I-I think so!! Where in the world is- oh, here!!” Paya said, and pulled out a small, pink bottle. She uncorked it and held it to Aita’s lips, who was beginning to feel hazy as the pain and blood loss took hold. The liquid inside the bottle was sweet and effervescent, tingling his throat as it went down. Instantly he felt the same tingling sensation in his chest as the wound magically closed. He coughed, the pain was gone.

“Ugh...I feel exhausted.” Aita groaned. 

“Yes, fairy tonics have that effect.” Paya said with a relieved sigh, holding the empty bottle. “I’m glad I was saving this one, they’re hard to come by.”

Zelda turned around towards them and knelt down to his level. “Who was that, anyway, Aita? Did you know her?”

“Ah, yeah. I did, at some point.”

“From the Yiga Clan?”

Aita looked at her. “...So you knew?” he asked.

“Just a hunch. And you just confirmed it, anyway.” Zelda said. “It’s alright by me, just so you know. If Link trusts you then so do I, regardless of where you’re from.” She smiled. 

“Zelda.” Link said. “I wish you didn’t use your power like that. You told me you felt it weakening, what if it didn’t work how you wanted? You would have put yourself in danger.”

Zelda frowned, annoyed. “Link, don’t pretend like I’m the one you’re worried about here. C’mon Paya, let’s go take care of that girl.” She turned around to where Kei had been laying; she was gone. Faint footprints in the sand hinted that she had moved north, behind Zelo Pond and up towards Trillby Plain. “...Let’s go, she couldn’t have moved far.” Zelda said, and she and Paya mounted their horses and began riding up the trail, leaving Aita and Link alone in the sand.

They sat quietly for a moment.

“Good job, by the way.” Aita said.

“For what?” 

“Defeating Ganon, and stuff. I never got a chance to say that.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“...You must be pretty happy to have Zelda back, huh?”

“Yeah. I missed her a lot.”

“Ah.” Aita hesitated. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“So...are you gonna go live in the castle now? That’ll be nice, you talked about wanting to settle down someday, right?”

Link looked puzzled. “The castle? What are you talking about?”

“Y’know, with Zelda?” Aita said. “I totally get it, it’s okay. I mean, yeah I was upset about it at first but you worked so hard, I just want you to be happy. I’m just a guy that tried to kill you and started following you around, it just makes sense.”

Link just stared at him, utterly confused. 

He let out an exasperated sigh. “Link, it’s so clear!! You have Zelda back, you have all your memories back, you can have your old life back!! I’m not a part of that life. But you deserve to have it, for everything to go back to normal, when you were happy and the world wasn’t ruined.”

Aita jumped as he Link suddenly placed his hands squarely on his shoulders. “Aita! I want you in my life!” Link exclaimed. “You’re right, I have my memories back, but I remember that I wasn’t happy back then! I was paralyzed with self doubt, so overwhelmed with everything that was put on me that I could barely speak. And I would have eventually become like that again after I woke up, if I hadn’t met you. You pushed me and gave me confidence. I don’t want my old life back, especially if it means that I couldn’t be with you!”

Aita stared in disbelief. “So...when you left to the castle...did that mean…?”

“Yes!” Link was shouting as he shook him. “I love you, Aita!”

He was speechless. Love. Aita had never really put the feeling into a word but, that seemed to be a fitting one. Everything around him was moving slow as it sunk in. That’s when he noticed a glint of light on the steep, rocky hillside behind Link, the reflection of the sun off of a sword.

Kei was there, she had misdirected Zelda and Paya while she had looped around to a different vantage point. Aita watched as she leaped off of a rock, holding the windcleaver over her head, aiming down for the two of them. But Aita was calm and serene, as if watching Kei fall in slow motion.

Thoughts of everything he wanted rushed into Aita’s mind. He wanted to eat fried bananas with him again, he wanted to finally make that apple pie they talked about. He wanted to ride horses with him, and go swimming, he wanted to show Link what he had learned about taking care of pumpkins and carrots and cuckoos. He wanted to hold Link, to kiss him again. He wanted to find a village somewhere across this world, a home, he wanted to stay there with Link forever and only travel when they wanted to, only fight and work when they wanted to.

He placed his hand on the ground beside them. From the point that he touched, a geyser of air shot outwards, traveling through the ground, ripping up the sand and the earth beneath it. It stopped just behind Link, and a pillar of rock shot forth from the ground in an explosion of sand. It intercepted Kei in midair, knocking her back up into the air. She fell with hefty splash into Zelo Pond. 

Link stared in shock over his shoulder for a moment, before turning back to Aita. “Was that you?!” he said. 

Aita nodded, a bit stunned himself, then stood up and walked over to the pond. He waded into the water, grabbed Kei and pulled her back onto the shore. A few seconds later they heard the sound of hooves approaching as Zelda and Paya rode back. 

“Aita!!” Paya said. “We saw the whole thing from up the beach, that was incredible, such advanced magic!”

Zelda dismounted her horse and walked over to check Kei’s body. “She’s still breathing, but unconscious.” She said. “I guess you were right Link, my power was just a little weaker than I anticipated. Or, I underestimated how tough she’d be.”

“What do you want to do with her?” Link asked, looking towards Aita. “She’s your friend, right?”

Aita looked down at Kei. “...Yeah. She is.” he said. “Let’s take her back to Kakariko. She won’t like it, but I wish she could have the same opportunities that I got.” 

They found Haran down the beach. Safely restraining her, should she come back around, Aita took Kei in his saddle. Paya and Zelda opted to continue on for Zora’s Domain, while Link accompanied Aita to take Kei back to Kakariko. 

It was dusk as they rode back to the Lanayru Wetlands. The water was like glass as they passed through, mirroring the hazy pink sky as the sun set, and the fireflies hovering across the waters surface.

“Link?” Aita said, breaking the serene silence.

“Yes?”

“I love you too, by the way.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

They continued in silence for a moment, before Link spoke again. “So, what happens now?”

Aita thought about it. “I think I’d just like to relax for a while.” he said. “If that’s okay.”

Link smiled. “That sounds nice.” he said. “I could use a few years off.”

“Years?” Aita asked. “I was thinking more in the scale of weeks.”

“Well, why not? Who’s waiting on us?” Link said. “We have our whole lives ahead of us.”

“...Yeah, you’re right.” Aita said. “That does sound nice.”

 

That night, Aita awoke to a quiet voice beside him, calling his name. He opened his eyes and saw a dark shape beside the bed. While he couldn’t make out the face, he recognized the voice.

“K-kei??” he whispered “What are you doing, how did you escape?”

“Calm down, stupid. I’m not going to do anything” She said. After a brief hesitation, she continued. “...What you were said today really irritated me, y’know. So I decided, you’re not worth my time anymore.”

“Oh...” Aita said. “You’re not going to try to kill me again?”

“No.” She responded. “I’ve got better things to do, anyway. Like you said, there’s no point.”

“You thought about what I told you, didn’t you?”

“God, do you ever stop talking?” Kei said, still cool and quiet. “I thought Goro was the insufferable one” She stood up and took a step to the door. “If you planned on keeping me prisoner here, it didn’t work. I’m leaving, are you going to try to stop me?”

“No, unless there’s a reason I should stop you. Am I going to regret it?” Aita said.

He could see her silhouette shrug in the darkness. “How am I supposed to know? If you’re asking if I’m going to get into trouble, don’t worry about it.”

Aita slowly laid back down. “...Alright. I wish you’d stay, though. I missed you.”

She scoffed. “Ugh, gross. I liked you better when you were a jerk.” She said, and opened the door. “Bye. If I’m lucky, I’ll never see you again.”

“Yeah, right.” Aita smirked. “It’s gonna take more than luck. Watch your back.”

She closed the door, and was gone.


	25. Link and Aita's House

Kei crossed the Floria Bridge, headed east. She was on her way to Lurelin Village. Since she had tried and failed to kill her childhood rival all those months ago, she had been traveling on her own. Hunting, foraging, selling those things to merchants, occasionally taking up the odd job or quest for rupees to get her through harder times. And when the times got too hard, she knew how to take what she needed, too. 

That happened more often than she would have liked. Even now Aita’s words rung in her ears, annoyingly, like a mosquito: “You don’t have to be like that anymore.” Since that day, she’d been trying to live a more honest life. But it was hard, and her survival was more important. No one’s perfect, after all.

She swatted the air beside her face; that one was a real mosquito.

Passing through Ebara Forest she saw a young Gerudo resting by the road, two large backpacks beside her. A merchant. 

“Morning.” Kei greeted her. “Are you buying?”

“That depends. What have you got?” the Gerudo said, not standing up from her resting spot against a mossy, stone column. 

Kei took off her own pack and pulled out some meat, wrapped in parchment paper. “Beef, hunted yesterday. Prime quality.”

“Oh yeah? I’ll give you eight rupees for it.” 

Kei frowned. “...The going rate is 15 rupees.” she argued.

She shrugged. “I’m not a big meat lover. You’ll have to offer something I’m interested in.”

Kei put the steak back in her pack, wondering if she could take on someone almost twice her height. It probably wasn’t wise, at least not in the daylight. “Fine, how about this?” She held out a milky white rock with flecks of bright, iridescent color.

“Ooh, an opal. Pretty.” She responded. “I’m not really big on gems either, but my girl is.”

“Buy it for her then.” Kei said. “A nice gift. It’s 100 rupees.”

The Gerudo chuckled. “Nice try. And I don’t need to buy it, she’s here with me as my business partner. She’s back there foraging. You can sell it to her at the real price.” She stood up, turned and called into the brush off the trail behind her. “Ru-ruuuu! Somebody wants to sell you something.”

“Cooommiing!” a voice replied. A girl with curly hair pushed out between the bushes and leaves. She saw the opal in Kei’s hand and gasped. “Ooh! Pretty! How much do you want for it?!”

“Ruka?!” Kei said.

She looked surprised. “Yeah, how did you know that?”

“...Ruka, it’s me, Kei.” She said.

Ruka stared for a few seconds before a look of fear came over her. “Ah!!” she shouted, and jumped behind the Gerudo. “I’m not going back, if that’s what you’re here for!! Nagosa, defend me!!”

“What? What’s going on?” The Gerudo wondered.

“Shh! You’ll attract attention. I’m not trying to take you back, Ruka, calm down already.” Kei said. “I left months ago, myself.”

Ruka peeked out from behind the tall woman. “You’re not? Why are you here, then?”

“Just a coincidence.”

“You know her?” The Gerudo asked. 

“Yeah, this is my old friend, Kei.” Ruka explained. “Kei, this is my giiirlfriiend, Nagosa.” She giggled, holding her cheeks and blushing. “I met her at Kara Kara Bazaar, we started traveling together.”

“Are you from the Yiga Clan, too?” Nagosa asked.

“Is that a problem?”

Nagosa smirked. “Not to me. If it were, I wouldn’t be dating Ru-ru. Most of the Gerudo hate the Yiga, but I could never be bothered to give a damn either way. She’s cute, so whatever.”

“...Ru-ru?” Kei said, incredulous. 

“Oh hush, I asked her to call me that! It’s adorable right?” Ruka replied.

“Yeah. Just precious. Are you going to buy the opal or not? It’s 120 rupees now, just for wasting my time.” Kei said.

“So where are you headed anyways, Kei?” Ruka asked, ignoring her question.

Kei groaned and slipped the opal back in her pack. “Lurelin Village, okay bye.”

“Oh! That sounds lovely, do you wanna go Nagosa? Doesn’t a beach retreat sound nice?”

“Sure.”

“Excuse me? No, you’re not.” Kei argued.

“Aw, why not? We used to be such good friends, Kei.” Ruka whined.

“I barely ever talked to you!”

 

Despite Kei’s objections, both of them ended up following her east. Ruka talked a lot; Kei couldn’t imagine anyone actually liking her personality enough to fall for her, but Nagosa generally seemed to enjoy their conversations, though she didn’t talk much herself. After the first hour, Kei was able to filter out the sound of her voice, which made the journey easier.

A few hours later, they arrived the the gates to the beach village of Lurelin. Ruka excitedly ran to play in the surf with Nagosa, while Kei sold some of her wares at the local shop. 

The opal, meat, a few foraged fruits and vegetables; she had a few rupees to spare now, enough for a night or two in the inn, maybe a few meals. She sighed. She was getting frustrated with only surviving day to day.

Kei approached a fisherman walking along the beach. “Hey, anything interesting happening in this village?” She asked. 

“Interesting? How do you mean?” He said.

“Any jobs? Anyone rich?”

“Oh! You’re looking to make some money, huh? You should check out Cloyne’s treasure chest game. If you’re lucky, you can make yourself a shiny rupee.” He said. 

“Gambling? Is that all?” Kei said, and turned to walk away. “No thanks, I’ve never been very lucky.”

“That’s too bad, the hero seems to do pretty well at it.”

Kei froze. “...The hero?”

The fisherman looked around with a smirk on his face, and lowered his voice. “You didn’t hear it from me, but...the legendary hero has actually been living near this village for quite a while now!” He said. “He’s a very private person, so he doesn’t want us telling outsiders and no one really knows where his place is. But he comes into town and plays the treasure chest game a lot and he seems to do pretty well most of the time! Even when he doesn’t do well, we’re all glad he’s here, so we recoup his losses.”

“You’re sure it’s him?” Kei said. “Messy blonde hair? Blue tunic? Is he still with some Sheikah kid?”

“Oh yeah! I don’t know about the Sheikah, though. I haven’t seen any Sheikah around...but ever since he arrived, the monsters down the coast don’t bother us when we’re fishing anymore. We figured he probably fights them enough that they know not to mess with us.”

Kei left the fisherman back to his work. Could that really be the hero? Maybe he and Aita had a fallout. Maybe it was worth investigating.

She found Ruka and Nagosa sunbathing on the beach. “Hey, Ruka.” She said. “Wanna go hero hunting, just like old times? I heard that he might be here.”

Ruka sat up. “Link’s here? But...he was so nice, you’re not gonna kill him are you, Kei?”

Kei rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not. I’m interested in someone he’s traveling with, or was traveling with.”

“Oh! It’s Aita isn’t it?” Ruka exclaimed. “ Aw, Kei. You wanna find Aita again?”

“Ugh. Nevermind, I’ll go myself.”

“No way, I wanna see Link again!” Ruka got up and gently shook her girlfriend. “Nagosa! Wake up, we’re looking for somebody!”

“Ngh, I’m up.”

 

They started by heading southeast along the coast. From what Kei knew of survival, there’s no way anyone would have camped out on the open beach for months. If he was anywhere, it would be further inland. The issue was that on either side of Lurelin Village were two mountains; Tuft Mountain and Mount Dunsel, and they both created steep cliffs on either side of the village. If the hero routinely traveled from wherever his home was down to Lurelin Village, he wouldn’t scale a rock wall every time he wanted to go back home. The hero could teleport, of course, making all this conjecture possibly useless; but the fisherman and other villagers she spoke to seemed to be convinced he was staying nearby.

There was the Palmorae Ruins, Gama Cove, the area underneath Cape Cales...significant landmarks, sure, but none would provide much shelter from the elements. They had been searching for a few hours now, the sun had set, and Kei had almost given up on the rumor when she noticed something. A small body of water, a pond right up against the cliff on a platform just above Gama Cove. There was a small hole in the cliffside; a cave entrance. At her suggestion, they approached.

“You think Link is squatting in a cave?” Ruka asked. 

“I can’t think of where else he would be, if he’s even here.” Kei said. “Think about it; it’s protected from the rain and sun. Assuming there’s dry land in there, the flooded entrance also keeps predators and curious Hylians away. And since it’s not connected to the sea, there’s no worry about tides.”

“Makes sense…” Nagosa said. “But. It’s also a cave.”

“I know it’s a cave…” Kei said, exasperated. “Are you coming in or not?”

“Uhh, not me. I’m not getting wet.” Nagosa complained.

“Fine, you stay out here and watch our stuff.”

Kei and Ruka left their things with Nagosa and slipped into the water. It was a quick swim, and soon they crossed the stone threshold into the cave. The ceiling was low and flat and almost the whole room was flooded, but on the far side was a raised, flat area where they could see a small hoard of objects; a few bags and crates, and a stack of fabric where someone was sleeping. It was difficult to see in the dark, but he was Hylian, and he was blonde.

Kei and Ruka quietly climbed out of the water and over to the sleeping man. He remained sound asleep until they reached him and saw his face. Then, Kei kicked him.

“Augh!!” he yelled in surprise and pain, and scrambled up to face the intruders. “Wh-!! Kei?? Ruka, what the hell?!”

“Goro, you goddamn imbecile, what are you doing here?!” Kei shouted.

“What are you doing here, I’m sleeping!! How did you find me?!” Goro had let his hair grow out to its natural color, a light ashy blonde, and cut the black ends off. He was wearing a regular tunic that had been dyed blue in Hateno. 

“We heard rumors that the hero was here!” Kei taunted. “Is that you, Goro? Are you the hero of Hyrule??”

Goro let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, can you blame me? Apparently the real guy never came here, or at least he never made a big enough deal about who he was. All I had to do was some sword tricks before these people believed me, it was too easy.”

Ruka crossed her arms, pouting. “If you wanted people to like you, shouldn’t you have just been a better person? Maybe instead of pretending to be Link, you should have followed his example and been a real hero.”

“Are you kidding me?” Goro said. “I don't care about that! As soon as I was the hero, people started giving me money and food for no reason! I’ve been living it up!!”

“You’ve been living in a flooded cave, stupid.” Kei said.

“Okay, okay. I know it looks bad, truth is, I’m just saving up right now.” Goro got up and walked over to one of his bags and pulled out a decent sized rupee pouch. “See? I’ve got a plan. This is just rent free living, and it’s about as comfortable as the hideout was, anyway. Plus! There’s bananas that just grow, right on the beach, on plants! You can just go up and take them!”

“Woah, really?” Ruka said. 

“Truth be told, I’m actually really glad you guys are here. Maybe you can help me out.” Goro said. “Especially you, Ruka...I was really worried, y’know? I thought about you every-”

“Um, I have a girlfriend now.” Ruka interrupted.

“Huh?”

“She’s outside.”

The three of them swam back out to where Nagosa was reclining in the grass.

“...That’s the hero?” Nagosa asked, looking at Goro, disdainfully.

“...Damn, okay.” Goro said, looking at her. “Good for you, Ruka.”

“So, talk Goro. Your plans have always been interesting, at least. What are you saving up this money for?” Kei inquired, while wringing out the bottom of her tunic.

“Kei, I am so glad you asked.” Goro began. “The guy who runs the gambling hall in this village, he gave me an idea. Instead of stealing from people by threatening them or pickpocketing them, you just trick people into giving you their money! The whole thing is a scam, it’s loaded in the guy’s favor! He’s been a drain on these people for too long, so we’re going to rob him. Three former Yiga Clan members, I’m sure we could do it….as long as your Gerudo gal isn’t a snitch.”

“Hell no, I’m interested.” Nagosa said.

“...Okay, interesting.” Kei replied. “That doesn’t exactly answer my question though. What you get from this heist will only contribute to what you’re saving up for, right? What is it?”

“I’m going to start a business.” Goro smiled. “Choose a fake name, put on some fancy robes, maybe lean into the mystic Sheikah vibe. Before you know it, I’m a real fortune teller.”

Kei scoffed. “You really think people will buy that?”

“Of course! For god’s sake, there’s a pond on a mountain nearby where people think they’ll be destined to meet their soulmate just because it’s shaped like a cute little heart! There’s some real gullible people in this world and their pockets are lined with gold! And it’s not gonna hurt anybody, just taking the money they willingly offer and tell them what they want to hear.”

Ruka looked confused. “So…you’re robbing a scam so you can have enough money to start your own scam?”

“Our scam, Ruka.” Goro said. “Things have been rough for all of us since we bravely left the clan, but this is how we can live better lives. Better, richer lives.”

“...Alright, you’ve got my attention Goro.” Kei said. “But don’t think you can pull the wool over our eyes, too. The moment I smell something off, I’m out.”

“Don’t put it that way.” Nagosa said. “He already stinks.”

 

The next morning while Ruka and Nagosa were still sleeping, Kei found Goro sitting at the edge of the cliff outlooking the ocean

“...Have you heard anything from Aita, at all?” She said, quietly.

Goro hesitated, but his answer was genuine. “Not since...y’know, right after he left. When I tried to kill him.”

“Hm. Same here.”

“You worried about him?”

“No. He’s capable.” she said. “I think I’d be more embarrassed to see him again than anything, but...I guess I...ugh, don’t know.”

“I wonder what he’s up to.”

 

Aita covered his eyes with one hand, while Link pulled him along by his other. “We’re on a bridge now, right?” he said. “I’m gonna fall, let me look!”

“No, not until we get there! I’ll make sure you don’t fall, okay? Stop peeking!” Link led him a little farther, and then positioned him in just the right spot. “Okay...open your eyes.”

Aita moved his hand and looked ahead. They were in Hateno Village, standing in front of a quaint two story house with ivy climbing up the front and a small stable where Haran and Nima were already eating. A wooden sign in front read: Link and Aita’s house.

“What do you think?!” Link said, excitedly. “Look, behind us!” He pointed down the cliff behind them to a small, clean pond. “When its really hot in the summer, we can go swimming! Oh, and here!” 

He took Aita’s hand and led him around to the back of the house. There was a small wooden shed and a fenced area. “If you want to have cuckoos or a garden, we have plenty of space! And our very own apple tree, look!” 

He then gestured to the small stable. “And Haran and Nima can stay with us too, we don’t have to board them anymore. There’s lots of places we can take them riding, there’s even an obstacle course that’s really close. And there’s shops in town, and Purah’s just up the hill! Paya and Zelda said they’d visit all the time since Purah’s helping with the guardians, but Kakariko is still pretty close anyway, so you won’t have to go a long time without seeing Dorian, Koko and Cottla either!”

Aita looked around the property in awe. It had a view across Hyrule, they could even see the distant silhouette of Rito Village on the other side of the map. Link stopped rambling to take a breath. “...You like it, right?” he asked.

“This...this is ours?” Aita asked.

Link nodded vigorously. “Yes, I bought it! Look, I had the interior finished, too.”

Inside was a kitchen area and dining table already set for two. Along the walls were weapon display cases which Link had already filled with the signature weapons of his fallen friends, the four champions. To the right was a staircase leading up to a loft bedroom.

“I’ve got to admit, your silence is making me nervous.” Link chuckled. “I know it's kind of an old house, they were going to demolish it but I thought it was so charming, I paid them to remodel it instead. We can still make some changes if you want…”

“No, no it’s perfect.” Aita said, his voice sounded choked up. “So, we’re going to be living here? You and me?”

“Of course! Who else would? You read the sign outside, didn’t you?” Link laughed.

“Yeah, I did! I just...ha, I don’t know, I never...ha.” Aita reached up and wiped a tear with his knuckle. 

“Aww, hey. C’mere.” Link said, and pulled Aita into a hug and held on. “I’m really looking forward to being here with you. This’ll be great, for both of us.”

“I know.” Aita said, holding him. “I just can’t really believe it.”

“Still?” Link asked, leaning back look at him. “How many times should I say it?”

“C’mon, I didn’t mean-”

“I love you!” Link said, and gave Aita a peck on the forehead.

“Oh god, don’t start-”

“I love you, I love you.” A kiss on his cheek, his jaw.

“Link, please!”

“I love you,” A kiss on the ear.

“Alright, geez, I believe you!!” Aita laughed. “I love you, too.”

“Good!” Link smiled. “Are you hungry? I think we should have something to celebrate, how about fried bananas?”

“You know that’s not the only thing I like anymore, right?” Aita asked.

“I know, I said that because I like them! Especially how you’ve been making them lately; Koko’s really taught you some tricks, huh?” Link said. “Teach me how you do it.”

“Alright, alright.” Aita said. “Try to keep up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so, so much for reading this fic. i started writing it back in march because i was going through an extremely difficult point in my life, and without even realizing it i was using aita's own growth and healing to cope and to inspire my own. it feels so silly to say that my zelda oc has given me the courage to be a better, kinder, more forgiving person to myself and others, but its true. writing something greater has been a small, but important part of my life for the past 9 months, and i couldn't have done it without you. i can't thank everyone enough for the comments, the kudos, the fanart, everything that's motivated me to keep this silly, self indulgent project alive. i hope you enjoyed it as much as i have.


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